AUTHOR=Illouz Tomer , Biragyn Arya , Iulita Maria Florencia , Flores-Aguilar Lisi , Dierssen Mara , De Toma Ilario , Antonarakis Stylianos E. , Yu Eugene , Herault Yann , Potier Marie-Claude , Botté Alexandra , Roper Randall , Sredni Benjamin , London Jacqueline , Mobley William , Strydom Andre , Okun Eitan TITLE=Immune Dysregulation and the Increased Risk of Complications and Mortality Following Respiratory Tract Infections in Adults With Down Syndrome JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology VOLUME=12 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2021.621440 DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2021.621440 ISSN=1664-3224 ABSTRACT=

The risk of severe outcomes following respiratory tract infections is significantly increased in individuals over 60 years, especially in those with chronic medical conditions, i.e., hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer. Down Syndrome (DS), the most prevalent intellectual disability, is caused by trisomy-21 in ~1:750 live births worldwide. Over the past few decades, a substantial body of evidence has accumulated, pointing at the occurrence of alterations, impairments, and subsequently dysfunction of the various components of the immune system in individuals with DS. This associates with increased vulnerability to respiratory tract infections in this population, such as the influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), and bacterial pneumonias. To emphasize this link, here we comprehensively review the immunobiology of DS and its contribution to higher susceptibility to severe illness and mortality from respiratory tract infections.