ArticleAging2020
Why does COVID-19 disproportionately affect older people?
Article in Aging, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04884776 (Modulation of Gut Microbiota to Enhance Health and Immunity of Vulnerable Individuals During COVID-19 Pandemic), which is not on this map. Cited by 569 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Modulation of Gut Microbiota to Enhance Health and Immunity of Vulnerable Individuals During COVID-19 Pandemic
Who cites it
569 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Impacts of COVID-19 on pediatric patients with congenital heart disease: a small systematic and integrative literature review.Revista paulista de pediatria : orgao oficial da Sociedade de Pediatria de Sao Paulo · 2025Pooled it
- Long-term health effects of antipyretic drug use in the aging population: a systematic review.Journal of medicine and life · 2024Pooled it
- Catalase: A Potential Pharmacologic Target for Hydrogen Peroxide in the Treatment of COVID-19.Current topics in medicinal chemistry · 2024Pooled it
- Bibliometric analysis of pyroptosis in pathogenesis and treatment of acute lung injury.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Cerebral small vessel disease pathology in COVID-19 patients: A systematic review.Ageing research reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Trial
- Trial
- Two Versus One COVID-19 Vaccine Dose After Prior SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study.Open forum infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Article
- The Impact of Ageism and Pain on Pandemic-Related Stress in Older Adults: A Structural Equation Modeling and Mediation Analysis.Journal of aging and health · 2026Article
- SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein's Structural Dynamics Affect the Activity of the Bebtelovimab Antibody.Journal of chemical information and modeling · 2026Article
- Opposing Association of Lung Neutrophils and PD-L1Aging cell · 2026Article
- Age and comorbidity in COVID-19 mortality: a retrospective cohort study using multivariable regression and interaction analyses.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Covid-19 a Strong Predictor of Hyperglycaemia Among Ugandan Patients: A Retrospective Study.Research square · 2026Article
- Article
- Impacts of relaxed mask policies on COVID-19 epidemics: a modeling study in South Korea.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Impaired neutralizing antibody responses against the BA1.1, BA.2, and BA.5 Omicron SARS-CoV-2 subvariants in hospitalized adults infected with pre-Omicron variants in Argentina.Microbiology spectrum · 2026Article
- Clinical Characteristics and Factors Associated With Critical Illness and Mortality in Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19: A Retrospective Cohort Study in Taiwan.Journal of acute medicine · 2026Article
- Comparative urinary metabolomics reveals unique and shared pathways in COVID-19 and liver diseases.Metabolomics : Official journal of the Metabolomic Society · 2026Article
- Health policy, collaboration and investment in the post-COVID era: a review from UHC and health security integration perspective.Globalization and health · 2026Review
509 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
The severity and outcome of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) largely depends on a patient's age. Adults over 65 years of age represent 80% of hospitalizations and have a 23-fold greater risk of death than those under 65. In the clinic, COVID-19 patients most commonly present with fever, cough and dyspnea, and from there the disease can progress to acute respiratory distress syndrome, lung consolidation, cytokine release syndrome, endotheliitis, coagulopathy, multiple organ failure and death. Comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity increase the chances of fatal disease, but they alone do not explain why age is an independent risk factor. Here, we present the molecular differences between young, middle-aged and older people that may explain why COVID-19 is a mild illness in some but life-threatening in others. We also discuss several biological age clocks that could be used in conjunction with genetic tests to identify both the mechanisms of the disease and individuals most at risk. Finally, based on these mechanisms, we discuss treatments that could increase the survival of older people, not simply by inhibiting the virus, but by restoring patients' ability to clear the infection and effectively regulate immune responses.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.