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. 2020 Oct;20(10):585-586.
doi: 10.1038/s41577-020-00429-3.

The type I interferon response in COVID-19: implications for treatment

Jeong Seok Lee  1   2 , Eui-Cheol Shin  3   4
Affiliations

The type I interferon response in COVID-19: implications for treatment

Jeong Seok Lee et al. Nat Rev Immunol. 2020 Oct.

Abstract

Despite early reports to the contrary, there is increasing evidence that patients with severe COVID-19 have a robust type I interferon response, which contrasts with the delayed, possibly suppressed, interferon response seen early in infection. A robust type I interferon response could exacerbate hyperinflammation in the progression to severe COVID-19 through diverse mechanisms. Further understanding of the roles of type I interferon at different stages of infection and in patients with mild versus severe COVID-19 will provide insights for the therapeutic use of interferon administration or JAK inhibitors in patients with COVID-19.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04385095 NCT04343976 NCT04354259 NCT04388709 NCT04344600.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

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