The role of SARS-COV-2 infection in promoting abnormal immune response and sepsis: A comparison between SARS-COV-2-related sepsis and sepsis from other causes

Andrea Piccioni; Laura Franza; Federico Rosa; Marcello Candelli; Marcello Covino; Michela Ferrara; Gianpietro Volonnino; Giuseppe Bertozzi; Maria Vittoria Zamponi; Aniello Maiese; Gabriele Savioli; Francesco Franceschi; Raffaele La Russa

doi:10.1016/j.imj.2023.04.006

The role of SARS-COV-2 infection in promoting abnormal immune response and sepsis: A comparison between SARS-COV-2-related sepsis and sepsis from other causes

Infect Med (Beijing). 2023 Apr 28;2(3):202-211. doi: 10.1016/j.imj.2023.04.006. eCollection 2023 Sep.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Emergency Medicine, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 1-00168 Rome, Italy.
² Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 1-00168 Rome, Italy.
³ Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy.
⁴ Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Foggia, 71100 Foggia, Italy.
⁵ Department of Surgical, Medical, and Molecular Pathology and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pisa, via Roma 55, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
⁶ Emergency Department, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
⁷ Department of Clinical-Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy.

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus is characterized by respiratory compromise and immune system involvement, even leading to serious disorders, such as cytokine storm.

Methods: We then conducted a literature review on the topic of sepsis and covid-19, and in parallel conducted an experimental study on the histological finding of patients who died from SARS-Covid 19 infection and a control group.

Results: Sepsis associated with covid-19 infection has some similarities and differences from that from other causes.

Conclusion: In this paper the complex interplay between the 2 disorders was discussed, focusing on the similarities and on the effect that one could have on the other. A preliminary experimental section that demonstrates the multisystemic involvement in subjects who die from SARS-CoV-2 is also proposed.

Keywords: Cytokine storm; SARS-COV-2; SARS-CoV-2; Sepsis; Septic shock.