Re:History of 1918 Flu Pandemic
by munificent on Friday January 31, 2020 @01:44PM
(#22204271)
As others have said, the current understanding is that it was cytokine storms. Your immune system responds to an infection by creating white blood cells which in turn release cytokines to cause inflammation.
That's normally a helpful response and part of how your immune system fights infections. But it also involves raising your body temperature, breaking down cells, and changing blood pressure. When those processes go too far, they can end up hurting or killing the organism by taking out too many healthy cells or interfering with circulation.
The Spanish flu triggered a very strong immunological response. So you had a mortality spike around 20-40 years old because those were the people with such healthy immune systems that their inflammation over-reacted and killed them.
By analogy, it's sort of like your house catching on fire. Hundreds and hundreds of fire fighters pile in, so many that they building actually collapses from their weight.
That's normally a helpful response and part of how your immune system fights infections. But it also involves raising your body temperature, breaking down cells, and changing blood pressure. When those processes go too far, they can end up hurting or killing the organism by taking out too many healthy cells or interfering with circulation.
The Spanish flu triggered a very strong immunological response. So you had a mortality spike around 20-40 years old because those were the people with such healthy immune systems that their inflammation over-reacted and killed them.
By analogy, it's sort of like your house catching on fire. Hundreds and hundreds of fire fighters pile in, so many that they building actually collapses from their weight.