Immune Pathogenesis of COVID-19 Intoxication: Storm or Silence?

Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2020 Jul 26;13(8):166. doi: 10.3390/ph13080166.

Abstract

Dysregulation of the immune system undoubtedly plays an important and, perhaps, determining role in the COVID-19 pathogenesis. While the main treatment of the COVID-19 intoxication is focused on neutralizing the excessive inflammatory response, it is worth considering an equally significant problem of the immunosuppressive conditions including immuno-paralysis, which lead to the secondary infection. Therefore, choosing a treatment strategy for the immune-mediated complications of coronavirus infection, one has to pass between Scylla and Charybdis, so that, in the fight against the "cytokine storm," it is vital not to miss the point of the immune silence that turns into immuno-paralysis.

Keywords: COVID-19; acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); immuno-paralysis; lymphopenia; macrophage activation syndrome; “cytokine storm”.

Publication types

  • Review