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When my dad was 9 years old he had whooping cough. Then it went it away for 55 years. Then, slowly, it began to creep back, as he got older and his immune syste
by lkrubner 12y ago
When my dad was 9 years old he had whooping cough. Then it went it away for 55 years. Then, slowly, it began to creep back, as he got older and his immune system became less aggressive. And I think this is a common story for almost any virus: once you get it, you have it for life, but for most of your life, while your immune system is strong, the virus will remain repressed. But once you get older, those viruses start coming back.
We know of many viruses that can resurface, decades later. Shingles is perhaps the most common, something like 25% to 33% of people eventually get shingles (according to the CDC, 96% percent of the USA population has the herpes zoster virus).
And of course, we now know that many things that used to be thought of as a natural part of the aging process are in fact caused by bacteria:
gum disease
stomach ulcers
heart disease
There is also evidence that most back pain is caused by bacteria (according to the CDC, 30% of the USA population shows signs of exposure to spinal meningitis).
There is also the theory that certain forms of dementia are driven by bacteria. (Dementia onset following a bout of pneumonia is a common story.)
I think this man's story fits into the ordinary story of a man getting older and his immune system getting less aggressive.
In terms of cost/benefit analysis, it is worth noting, if we could find a general way to boost the immune system, the benefits would apply to thousands of illnesses, including all of the most common ones. Research on any one disease is less likely to yield the sort of wide benefits that boosting the immune system would offer. Such research (to boost the immune system in a general way) might seem a bit far fetched, but I think it justified by the large benefits it could yield.
- refurb 12y agoAnd I think this is a common story for almost any virus: once you get it, you have it for life, but for most of your life, while your immune system is strong, the virus will remain repressed. But once you get older, those viruses start coming back. I would say that's a minority of viruses. There are some great examples of viruses that stay dormant in the body (HSV, HCV), but most viruses are completely cleared by the immune system.
- maxerickson 12y agoI thought that too, and read this looking for a good resource on it: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8538/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8538/ Several times it discusses viruses that are treated as acute but probably persistent (including measles and various intestinal and respiratory viruses).
- maxerickson 12y agoThe immune response is plenty strong as it is. The problem is getting it to target things that have evolved for thousands of years to avoid it. Auto immune diseases and allergies are some indication that it is a delicate balancing act.
- cperciva 12y agoif we could find a general way to boost the immune system We have ways of boosting the immune system. Unfortunately they tend to result in patients dying of multiple organ failure when the overactive immune system attacks cells which we can't do without. Even when dealing with infectious diseases, many deaths are caused not by pathogens but rather by the immune responses to them. What we need is a way to selectively boost the immune system.
- rsync 12y agoActually, we have a way to boost the immune system that has none of those side effects - regular, moderate exercise.
- maurycy 12y agoCould you link to the CDC claim that 30% of the US population shows signs of exposure to spinal meningitis? I'm unable to find any references. Personally, I find this quite probable, since antibiotics are already known to reliev some back pain.
- Gatsky 12y agoWhooping cough is caused by bacteria (Bordatella pertussis). It is virtually unheard of for whooping cough to re-activate, catching it again as a new infection is much more likely. Incidentally, there is a zoster vaccine that can prevent shingles[1]. If you have ever seen anyone with the debillitating pain that shingles can cause, you will realise that this vaccine is definitely worth it. [1] http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/shingles/vacc-need-know.htm http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/shingles/vacc-need-know....