COVID-19: POTENTIAL TREATMENT STRATEGY- EXPLORING REJUVENATION OF THE THYMUS AS AN OPTION

Abstract

Most cases of COVID-19 in children are mild and may not show severe symptoms of the disease before they overcome it. The thymus is essential for the development and maturation of T cells which help to reduce the rate of infections. The thymus is most active during neonatal life and early childhood. It begins a gradual process of reduction in size after puberty. It is hardly visible at old age where it has largely been replaced by fatlike substances. It’s near absence or inactivity at old age may account for the high rate of deaths from COVID-19 in the elderly. There is a possibility that the activities of the thymus play a major role in the
survival of children infected with SARS-CoV-2 and may account for the extremely low rate of death in children infected with the virus. Substances that can rejuvenate the thymus and lower the potential for its involution may be useful in the prevention and management of COVID-19 patients. Such substances include supplementation with zinc gluconate, vitamin E and high dose vitamin C. Other infections should be treated appropriately. These measures can serve as additional strategies in the reduction of the global burden of COVID-19