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Review
. 2020 Aug 27;22(9):63.
doi: 10.1007/s11906-020-01078-6.

Endothelial Dysfunction in COVID-19: Lessons Learned from Coronaviruses

Eleni Gavriilaki  1 , Panagiota Anyfanti  1 , Maria Gavriilaki  2 , Antonios Lazaridis  1 , Stella Douma  1 , Eugenia Gkaliagkousi  3
Affiliations
Review

Endothelial Dysfunction in COVID-19: Lessons Learned from Coronaviruses

Eleni Gavriilaki et al. Curr Hypertens Rep. .

Abstract

To review current literature on endothelial dysfunction with previous coronaviruses, and present available data on the role of endothelial dysfunction in coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection in terms of pathophysiology and clinical phenotype RECENT FINDINGS: Recent evidence suggests that signs and symptoms of severe COVID-19 infection resemble the clinical phenotype of endothelial dysfunction, implicating mutual pathophysiological pathways. Dysfunction of endothelial cells is believed to mediate a variety of viral infections, including those caused by previous coronaviruses. Experience from previous coronaviruses has triggered hypotheses on the role of endothelial dysfunction in the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), which are currently being tested in preclinical and clinical studies. Endothelial dysfunction is the common denominator of multiple clinical aspects of severe COVID-19 infection that have been problematic for treating physicians. Given the global impact of this pandemic, better understanding of the pathophysiology could significantly affect management of patients.

Keywords: COVID-19; Complement; Endothelial dysfunction; SARS-COV-2; Thrombosis; Thrombotic microangiopathy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest relevant to this manuscript.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schematic representation of endothelial dysfunction in COVID-19
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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