Why do people get the disease so differently?

[MozFan]

So a good friend of mine, who is 31 years old, has recently tested positive for coronavirus, she is an NHS nurse.
The only symptom she had was a loss of her sense of smell.
Her husband and DC have no symptoms over two weeks on. Although her DH had a bit of a sniffle.
Fortunately she’s the only person I know who has tested positive.
Although I myself think I’ve had it, as did my DS and DP. However me and my DS had coughs and mild fevers.
My DH lost his sense of smell and had diarrhoea.

I just wonder why she has presented with such mild, almost non existent symptoms, despite a possible higher viral load (being on the frontline) and other medical staff end up on ventilators.

[BackInTime]

www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2020/apr/age-and-obesity-are-biggest-covid-19-risk-factors.html

[buttermilkwaffles]

On mutation, from WHO press conference today:

Q about mutant strain supposed to have higher fatality.
@mvankerkhove (WHO) says more than 10,000 full genome sequences are available. "So far this virus is relatively stable.” Says there are mutations - as would be expected - but no suggestion that any have changed virus behaviour.
Source: mobile.twitter.com/kakape/status/1254806712999084038

[MozFan]

I suppose it’s partly responding differently to viruses.
To be fair, she is very rarely ill. Never picks anything up at all. Except the odd cold.

I had a horrific case of hand, foot and mouth last year, I caught it from my DS. I’ve never felt so ill. It was dreadful.

[eurochick]

As others have said it's the same with any virus.

I got chicken pox as a child. I had about three spots. I gave it to my mum who got an absolutely horrendous case and was covered.

Some people tested positive for swine flu but were asymptomatic. Others died from it.

[SquashedFlyBiscuit]

Should those of us v obese get shielding letters for that reason then? Theyre not on the shielding list and we cant magically transform it.

[Topseyt]

I don't know. It is an interesting question. I think I have heard that it can be down to your immune response to it? Some people's immume systems may respond more viciously that others??

I could be talking out of my arse though.

[CoteDAzur]

"As others have said it's the same with any virus. I got chicken pox as a child. I had about three spots. I gave it to my mum who got an absolutely horrendous case and was covered."

That should not have been a surprise to anybody. It has been known for centuries that adults suffer a lot more with chicken pox than children.

[Drivingdownthe101]

Adults do tend to suffer chicken pox worse than children, but also my then 2 year old got a far milder case than my then 3 year old. 3 year old was absolutely plastered in spots, they were in her eyes, up her nose and on her vulva. 2 year old (who caught them from her sister, so arguably would have had a higher viral load than 3 year old who caught them from pre school) had 5 spots, no temperature or anything.

[Bluewavescrashing]

Tests have been done on identical twins recently. They respond in the same way to the virus.

Non identical twins do not always respond in the same way despite the same upbringing.

There appears to be a genetic predisposition to having a good outcome with covid19 and another having an extreme reaction, needing ventilation and possibly death, despite being generally healthy and/ or young.

Time will tell.

[LittleCandle]

DD2 had the virus. I had been very close to her a few days before - touching close, crying on each other, arms around her a lot. I haven't had a single symptom. DD's fiance lives with her and although the doctors told him he might have the virus, his asthmatic cough responded as usual to antibiotics and steroids. I have a really good immune system, despite various bits of me creaking etc and haven't had a cold in 2 years.. DD's useless father has a really shit one, and both DDs have inherited that from him. It is often just a chance thing, or genetics.

[OvaHere]

People do seem to have various reactions to any viruses. As mentioned before chicken pox is one. Out of my 4 children two of them had a medium to bad case (lots of spots felt unwell), one of them about 3 spots and a slight runny nose and the other either never caught it or was asymptomatic. Likewise I don't believe I ever had chicken pox/or was asymptomatic as a child (according to my parents).

I do seem to be more prone to stomach bugs (D&V) more than cold/fever type bugs. DH on the other hand has an iron stomach, in the 25 years I've known him I don't think he's ever vomited once from any cause.

[BahHumbygge]

Metabolic function... metabolic illnesses like T2 diabetes & hypertension have been shown to be compounding comorbidities.

Vitamin D status... recent (this week) studies from the Philippines & Indonesia have shown strong associations between severity of covid19 (inc mortality) & deficiency/insufficiency/adequacy of vitamin D levels.

Taking the two together, obesity... I watched a youtube video last night from a vitamin D researcher (Dr Holick) who stated that obese people’s vitamin D requirements are two to three times greater, so they’re already that far below the non-obese population, who themselves are most likely quite deficient. Industrialisation, urbanisation, emergence of processed foods after the industrial revolution in Britain, these are a scourge of human health and the circumstances that lead to a plethora of maladies like rickets, poor childbirth outcomes due to narrowing of the pelvis, upsurge of infectious diseases, mental health conditions like depression etc. We’re not meant to eat processed gack and sugars or spend most of our time indoors, unlike 99.9% of our evolutionary history which we spent mostly outside and eating food that was hunted, fished, herded, foraged or grown.