COVID-19 in Elderly Adults: Clinical Features, Molecular Mechanisms, and Proposed Strategies

Ya Yang; Yalei Zhao; Fen Zhang; Lingjian Zhang; Lanjuan Li

doi:10.14336/AD.2020.0903

COVID-19 in Elderly Adults: Clinical Features, Molecular Mechanisms, and Proposed Strategies

Aging Dis. 2020 Dec 1;11(6):1481-1495. doi: 10.14336/AD.2020.0903. eCollection 2020 Dec.

Authors

Ya Yang, Yalei Zhao, Fen Zhang, Lingjian Zhang, Lanjuan Li¹

Affiliation

¹ State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is causing problems worldwide. Most people are susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but elderly populations are more susceptible. Elevated susceptibility and death rates in elderly COVID-19 patients, especially those with age-related complications, are challenges for pandemic prevention and control. In this paper, we review the clinical features of elderly patients with COVID-19 and explore the related molecular mechanisms that are essential for the exploration of preventive and therapeutic strategies in the current pandemic. Furthermore, we analyze the feasibility of currently recommended potential novel methods against COVID-19 among elderly populations.

Keywords: COVID-19; clinical feature; elderly; molecular mechanism; strategy.

Publication types

Review