March 2021

National Institutes of Health • Department of Health and Human Services • newsinhealth.nih.gov

Inside News: 3 Vitiligo 4 COVID-19 Protection 4 Kidney Disease 4 COVID-19 Spanish Resources Understanding COVID-19 How To Protect Yourself During the Pandemic COVID-19 has claimed of coming in contact with millions of lives around the someone who has COVID-19. world. But we learn more about this disease every day. What to Look For • Common Scientists are developing symptoms of COVID-19 in- tools that promise to slow and clude fever, cough, headaches, eventu­ally help us overcome fatigue, and muscle or body the pandemic. aches. People with COVID-19 COVID-19 is caused by may also lose their sense of a new coronavirus called smell or taste. Symptoms usu- SARS-CoV-2. There are many ally appear two to 14 days after types of coronaviruses. Some being exposed to the virus. cause the common cold. Oth- But even people who don’t ers have led to fatal disease seem sick can still infect oth- outbreaks. These include ers. The CDC estimates that severe acute respiratory 50% of infections are spread syndrome (SARS) in 2003, by people with no symptoms. Middle East respiratory syn- While some with this virus de- drome (MERS) in 2012, and lergy and Infectious Diseases. That’s velop life-threatening illness, now COVID-19. why it’s important to stay at least six others have mild symptoms, and Coronaviruses are named for the feet (about two arm lengths) away some never develop any. crown-like spikes on their surface. from people who don’t live with you. Catching the virus is more danger- (Corona means crown.) The viruses “Surfaces can be contaminated. ous for some groups of people. This use the spikes to help get inside your But it is likely that this is a less includes older adults and people body’s cells. Once inside, they repli- common cause of infection rather with certain medical conditions. cate, or make copies of themselves. than person-to-person directly,” These medical conditions include Scientists have learned how to Fauci says. obesity, diabetes, heart and lung turn these spikes against the virus You can protect yourself and disease, and asthma. About 40% of through vaccines and treatments. others by wearing a mask. Choose Americans have at least one of these They’ve also learned what you can one that has at least two layers of risk factors. do to protect yourself from the virus. fabric. Make sure that the mask covers your mouth and nose and Getting Treatment • Better CO- Protecting Yourself • You’re most doesn’t leak air around the edges. VID-19 treatments mean that fewer likely to get COVID-19 through close “There’s very little transmission people now get severely sick if they contact with someone who’s infect- in places where masks are worn,” catch the virus. Scientists have ed. Coughing, sneezing, talking, and says Dr. Ben Cowling at the Univer- been working to test available drugs breathing produce small droplets of sity of Hong Kong who studies how continued on page 2 liquid. These are called respiratory viruses spread. Cowling found that droplets. They travel through the air infections were most often spread in and can be inhaled by someone else. settings where masks aren’t worn. “COVID-19 is spread mainly “Masks work. But even with @ through exposure to respiratory mandatory masking, you still need Subscribe droplets that tend to drop within six social distancing as well,” he says. feet,” says Dr. Anthony Fauci, direc- You can lower your risk by avoiding newsinhealth.nih.gov tor of NIH’s National Institute of Al- crowds. Crowds increase the risk 2 newsinhealth.nih.gov/2021/03 continued from page 1 netics of viruses at the University of against the virus. They’ve found at North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Heise Wise Choices least two that can help people who is working to develop mouse models Think You Might Have are hospitalized with the virus. to test treatments and vaccines. COVID-19? A drug called remdesivir can Studies are now testing combina- reduce the time a patient spends in tions of treatments. “Combining l Stay home except to get the hospital. A steroid called dexa- drugs that target both the virus and medical care. Even if you methasone helps stop the immune the person’s immune response may don’t feel sick, you can spread system from reacting too strongly help treat COVID-19,” says Heise. COVID-19 to others. to the virus. That can damage body Scientists are also looking for new l Isolate yourself from others tissues and organs. drugs that better target the virus. in your household. Stay in a Antibody treatments are also separate room and use a different available. Antibodies are proteins A Shot of Hope: Vaccines • It used bathroom, if possible. that your body makes to fight germs. to take a decade or more to develop l Contact your health care Scientists have learned how to make a new vaccine. In this pandemic, provider. Monitor and tell them them in the lab. Antibody treatments scientists created COVID-19 about your symptoms. can block SARS-CoV-2 to prevent vaccines in less than a year. the illness from getting worse. They The first two vaccines approved l Visit your state or local health seem to have the most benefit when for emergency use are from Moderna department’s website to find given early in the disease. and Pfizer/BioNTech. Moderna’s testing information in your area. “Antibody treatments really do vaccine was co-developed with NIH l Get care immediately if you are have the potential to help people, scientists. Both are a new type of having trouble breathing or especially for treating individuals vaccine called mRNA vaccines. pain in your chest. who are not yet hospitalized,” says mRNA carries the genetic informa- l Visit coronavirus.gov for more Dr. Mark Heise, who studies the ge- tion for your body to make proteins. information. The vaccines direct the body’s cells to make a piece of the virus Definitions called the spike protein. These pro- versions of the virus, or variants, teins can’t cause illness by them- have appeared. “We’re all very con- Immune System selves. But they teach your immune fident that vaccines will continue to The system that protects your body from system to make antibodies against work well against these variants,” invading viruses, bacteria, and other the protein. If you encounter the McLellan says. “Vaccination also microscopic threats. virus later, the antibodies provide helps stop the development of new protection against it. variants, because it provides fewer The mRNA vaccines now avail- opportunities for the virus to change NIH News in Health able were shown to be more than as it replicates.” ISSN 2375-6993 (Print) ISSN 1556-3898 (Online) 90% effective in large clinical trials. Many people will need to be vacci- Editor Harrison Wein, Ph.D. They can cause side effects—such as nated for the pandemic to end. Fauci Managing Editor Tianna Hicklin, Ph.D. fatigue, muscle aches, joint pain, and estimates that 70% to 85% of the Graphics Alan Defibaugh (illustrations), headache. But both vaccines were U.S. population will need to be vacci- Bryan Ewsichek (design) found to be safe in the clinical trials. nated to get “herd immunity.” That’s Contributors Erin Bryant and Sharon Reynolds “Get vaccinated. The vaccines are the point where enough people are Use our articles and illustrations in your own safe. They’re incredibly effective,” immune to the virus to prevent its publication. Our material is not copyrighted. says Dr. Jason McLellan, an expert spread. That’s important because it Please acknowledge NIH News in Health as the source and send us a copy. on coronaviruses at the Univer- protects vulnerable people who can’t sity of Texas at Austin. McLellan’s get vaccinated. research was critical in developing “It is my hope that all Americans newsinhealth.nih.gov these vaccines. His team, along with will protect themselves by getting NIH scientists, figured out how to vaccinated when the vaccine be- lock the shape of the spike protein to comes available to them,” Fauci says.

NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health® make the most effective antibodies. “That is how our country will begin As the pandemic has gone on, new to heal and move forward.” n Office of Communications & Public Liaison Building 31, Room 5B52 Bethesda, MD 20892-2094 For more about COVID-19 disease, email: [email protected] Web see “Links” in the online article: phone: 301-451-8224 Links newsinhealth.nih.gov/2021/03/understanding-covid-19 3 newsinhealth.nih.gov/2021/03 Patchy Skin Vitiligo Explained Your skin is often the first thing Some treatments other people see. You may have aim to slow or stop the noticed that some people have disease from getting patches of white skin. This worse. Others may discoloring is called vitiligo. restore the skin’s color. Vitiligo isn’t contagious. It’s an But these can take autoimmune disease. That’s a condi- time to work. And tion in which the body’s immune some areas of the body system mistakenly attacks and are easier to treat than destroys the body’s own cells. others. Normally, your immune system A type of light defends your body from germs. But therapy called UVB in vitiligo, immune cells kill the phototherapy is com- cells that produce the skin’s color. monly used to treat the These pigment cells are called disorder. It uses spe- melanocytes. cial lamps that encour- Sometimes, vitiligo causes areas age the pigment cells of hair to go white as well. People in your skin to regrow. with vitiligo may also develop Light therapy works inflammation in the eyes or ears. better on some parts These parts of the body also contain of the body than oth- melanocytes. ers. For example, it To diagnose vitiligo, your doctor rarely works well on will look closely at your skin. They the hands, Harris says, may use a special type of light that “but the face is the easiest to treat.” makes spots of vitiligo look chalky. Some people may need medica- Wise Choices You might also have a skin sample tions that suppress the immune Living With Vitiligo taken to look for pigment cells. system. These can be given as skin The condition isn’t painful. But creams or pills. l Protect your skin from the some people experience itching If someone stops treatment, sun. Use sunscreen and wear while the skin is losing color, ex- vitiligo comes back, Harris explains. protective clothes. plains Dr. John Harris, a skin expert His team is looking for ways to make l Avoid touching harsh chemicals at the University of Massachusetts. the immune system “forget” the and other things that can irritate Some people feel distressed at the melanocytes. That would prevent it your skin. loss of their skin’s color. They may from attacking them. l Try cosmetics to cover white develop low self-esteem or a poor Drugs that suppress the immune areas. Talk with your health care self-image from concerns about system “are like cutting the power to provider about which products their appearance. the house to turn off the light in your are safe to use. “Vitiligo can cause a reduction in bedroom,” says Harris. “We want to quality of life, because it tends to in- create more targeted therapies.” l See an expert. Ask your doctor volve parts of the body that can’t be In severe cases of vitiligo, surgery for a referral to a skin specialist hidden,” says Harris. But treatments or bleaching larger areas of the skin who has experience treating are available. And special makeup to match the white patches may be people with vitiligo. can help hide the discoloring. options. Talk with your health care l Join a support group. Talking provider about what steps you can with other people with vitiligo take to help with the condition. See can help you learn new ways to the Wise Choices box for tips on cope with the condition. Definitions living with vitiligo. n

Inflammation For more about vitiligo, Heat, swelling, and redness caused by the Web see “Links” in the online article: body’s protective response to injury or Links newsinhealth.nih.gov/2021/03/patchy-skin infection. 4 NIHnewsinhealth.nih.gov/ News in Health2021/03

For links to more information, please visit our website Health Capsules and see these stories online. How Long Does Protection Last After COVID-19? After your body’s disease defense cases were more recent. Of the peo- months after infection and then system (the immune system) fights ple who recovered, 95% had immune remained stable. Most people had off a virus, it keeps a memory of it. A system “memories” of the virus that one important type of T cell. About study suggests that people’s immune causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2. half had another type of T cell that systems remember COVID-19 for Almost everyone had antibodies kills infected cells. months after recovery. that block the virus’ spike protein. “Several months ago, our stu- The immune system makes The virus uses this protein to enter dies showed that natural infection different types of cells and molecules cells. The number and type of anti- induced a strong response, and to fight disease. These include bodies varied between people. But this study now shows that the antibodies, T cells, and B cells. the levels usually remained stable responses last,” says Dr. Daniela Researchers looked at immune over time. They slightly decreased Weiskopf at the La Jolla Institute for responses from about 200 people six to eight months after infection. Immunology. “We are hopeful that a who’d recovered from COVID-19. Immune cell levels also remained similar pattern of responses lasting Some had been infected up to eight high. Memory B cells, which make over time will also emerge for the months before the analysis. Other antibodies, increased for a few vaccine-induced responses.” n

Preventing Kidney Disease Your kidneys are two bean-shaped damage happens slowly over a long symptoms. Getting tested can be organs about the size of your fist. period of time. It can lead to kidney the only way to detect it. Talk to your They sit below the rib cage on each failure. If your kidneys fail, you will health care provider about kidney side of the body. Kidneys filter blood. need a kidney transplant or dialysis, testing if you have risk factors, They remove waste products and wa- a treatment that filters your blood including a family history of kidney ter to make urine. They filter about a artificially. failure. half cup of blood every minute. Kidney disease is common. Cer- You can take steps to protect your The kidneys also make substances tain people are at higher risk. Diabe- kidneys. Make healthy food choices that control your blood pressure. And tes is the leading cause. Almost 1 in and cut back on salt and added they play an important role in keep- 3 people with diabetes has chronic sugars. Aim for a healthy weight and ing your bones strong. kidney disease. You’re also at greater more physical activity. For more Chronic (long-term) kidney dis- risk for kidney disease if you have information on kidney disease, visit ease damages your kidneys so that high blood pressure or heart disease. www.niddk.nih.gov/health-informa- they can’t filter blood properly. The Early kidney disease may not have tion/kidney-disease. n

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