WHAT IS A CYTOKINE STORM AND HOW DOES IT AFFECT PATIENTS WITH COVID-19

1. WHAT IS A CYTOKINE STORM?

2. Recent global events have forced us to think more about health and risk factors at a large scale. COVID-19 has certainly become the main focus of many health professionals and researcher’s work because of its high infectivity and the difficult management of very severe cases that often lead to death in the elderly (2-3% of cases) [1]. Most COVID-19 fatalities are due to a respiratory failure caused by an acute respiratory distress syndrome which is characterized by the inner space of the lungs being filled by fluid and preventing the proper oxygenation of the body. In these cases, this syndrome is attributed to a “viral hyperinflammation” or “cytokine storm” [2]. A “cytokine storm” is a somewhat complex concept that is not often explained in simple terms but is a critical element in severe cases of respiratory virus infections such as the one caused by SARS-CoV-2. In this article we’ll provide some basic information to help you understand this phenomenon better. Inflammation is a clinical manifestation of many processes mediated by the immune system and is characterized by 4 main features: heat, pain, blushing and swelling. To put it simply, when some non-self agent (foreign body, virus, bacteria, etc) is detected by the body, a complex network of cells, tissues and organs need to organize to guide and facilitate the entry of “protector” cells and fluids into the affected area to eliminate the agent. These events cause the area to swell by the facilitated entry of new cells and fluids, also, the increased activity and structural changes of the area translates into localized heat and Article Source : https://myacare.com/en/mya-blog/what-is-a-cytokine-storm