INFECTION SARS COV-2 IN NEONATAL AGE
Keywords:
COVID19, newborns, immune systemAbstract
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has strained the health care system, left catastrophic economic consequences on a global scale, disrupted social structures, especially in underdeveloped and developing countries. Fortunately, COVID19 in children remains less severe than in the adult population. According to current epidemiological data, only 2% of the population under the age of 18 has been severely affected by SARS-CoV-2. The immune system of newborns, infants, young children, preschool children and adolescents is not the same. Special attention should be paid here to the newborn's immune response. It has been suggested that increased susceptibility of older adults to COVID 19 may be associated with chronic low-grade systemic inflammation (inflammation) with higher levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and other congenital plasma cytokines. Differences in immune responses in neonates from adults are also attributed to other factors such as relative vitamin D deficiency in adults, increased comorbidities and endothelial damage, chronic altered density and distribution of ACE receptors, and cytomegalovirus infection. The current knowledge should be used in the best possible way in order to improve neonatal care and treatment during the COVID19 pandemic, but the acquired knowledge will certainly be of great help in understanding all the specifics of the neonatal period.
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