How can two relatively healthy people with similar lifestyles, when both infected with a disease, have different reactions to the sickness?

Question

For that matter, how could one of them show no symptoms (asymptomatic), while the other could be floored for days?

In: 0

Answer 1

Lots of factors. If most things like genetics, lifestyle, environment, diet, physical are equal…

with covid they believed how much of the virus was taken in at the time, and where it landed. (lungs, throat, nasal passage..thought to be worse for long term covid)

it was believed that people who suffered colds in the last few years had some antibodies against the corona family.

IIRC the working theory was that the immune system has antibodies floating around to deal with everyday issues. We have a storage system for unused antibodies. When we face a different virus we pull out other tools for the storage to find something that works. That takes awhile so in the meantime the virus can spread faster than the body can respond.

Consider the old saw about kids who play in dirt are healthier, this is probably why.