Does the COVID‐19 seroconversion in older adults resemble the young?

Bag Soytas, Rabia; Cengiz, Mahir; Islamoglu, Mehmet Sami; Uysal, Betul Borku; Ikitimur, Hande; Yavuzer, Hakan; Yavuzer, Serap

High antibody titers have been found to correlate with the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) disease. Therefore, antibody titers may be higher in older adults, whose disease is known to have a more severe course than younger ones. This study aimed to compare the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody level in the reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) to test positive older adults with young. Patients aged ≥18 with positive RT‐PCR and checked serum IgG antibodies between November 1, 2020 and January 13, 2021 were included. The IgG antibody levels and the time between RT‐PCR positivity with the antibody levels were recorded. A total of 1071 patients were divided into two groups as Group 1 <60 years old (n = 902) and Group 2 ≥60 years old (n = 169). The SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG antibody titers were higher in Group 2 (p = 0.001). This height was present in the first 3 months after positive RT‐PCR. While the antibody titers were compared by dividing Group 2 into the three groups according to age ranges (60–69, 70–79, and ≥80 years), the antibody titer was higher in ≥80 years patients (p = 0.044). High COVID‐19 IgG antibody levels may be associated with the severity of the disease. Also, the humoral immunity advantage was seen in the first 3 months in the older patients, which suggests that older adults with COVID‐19 may develop reinfection in the long term.