Why do some COVID-19 patients die more severely than others?

[Astronuc]

NBC News - 'Breakthrough finding' reveals why certain Covid-19 patients die
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heal...ls-why-certain-covid-19-patients-die-n1247576

In some cases, provocative new research shows, some people — men in particular — succumb because their immune systems are hit by friendly fire. Researchers hope the finding will help them develop targeted therapies for those patients.

In an international study in Science, 10 percent of nearly 1,000 Covid-19 patients who developed life-threatening pneumonia had antibodies that disable key immune system proteins called interferons. These antibodies — known as autoantibodies, because they attack the body itself — weren't found at all in 663 people with mild or asymptomatic Covid-19 infections. Only four of 1,227 healthy patients had the autoantibodies. The study was led by the Covid Human Genetic Effort, which includes 200 research centers in 40 countries.

In a second Science study by the same team, the authors found that an additional 3.5 percent of critically ill patients had mutations in genes that control the interferons involved in fighting viruses.

Is this a major step in understanding how the virus works and eventually finding an improved treatment? Target immunotherapy?

 

[Ygggdrasil]

See also this previous PF thread from late September on these papers: https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/flawed-interferon-response-spurs-severe-covid-19.994080/

Not sure if this information has lead to any new treatments that could help in the short term yet.