A recent medical study revealed that a lack of oxygen in the body may lead to a long-term imbalance in the immune system, which weakens the body’s ability to resist inflammation and infection even after breathing returns to its normal level.
Researchers from the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom explained that low oxygen levels cause structural changes in DNA within immune cells known as neutrophils, which are the first line of defense against infection.
These changes reduce the efficiency of the immune system in dealing with pathogens.
The scientific team relied on analyzing blood samples from patients recovering from acute respiratory distress syndrome, in addition to participants who returned from high-altitude, low-oxygen areas.
The results showed that lack of oxygen leads to a molecular process known as “histone trimming,” which is a process that changes the structure of DNA and affects the mechanism of turning genes on and off.
The researchers pointed out that this effect is not limited to mature neutrophils only, but also extends to the stem cells in the bone marrow that produce these cells, which indicates long-term immune reprogramming that may explain the continued susceptibility to infection after recovery from severe lung diseases.
Scientists hope that these results will contribute to the development of future treatments capable of reversing these changes and restoring the efficiency of the immune system in patients who have been exposed to lack of oxygen.