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Review
. 2021 Apr;45(4):702-707.
doi: 10.1002/cbin.11517. Epub 2020 Dec 11.

Dysregulation of the immune response in coronavirus disease 2019

Leila Mohamed Khosroshahi  1 , Nima Rezaei  1   2   3
Affiliations
Review

Dysregulation of the immune response in coronavirus disease 2019

Leila Mohamed Khosroshahi et al. Cell Biol Int. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can trigger a cytokine storm in the pulmonary tissue by releasing various types of mediators, leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Increased neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, as well as CD4+ T lymphopenia, is reported in cases with novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), meanwhile, lymphopenia is a significant finding in the majority of COVID-19 cases with a severe phenotype. Moreover, excessive activation of monocyte/macrophage and cytokine storms are associated with the severity of the disease and the related complications in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Understanding the immune response dysregulation in COVID-19 is essential to develop more effective diagnostic, therapeutic, and prophylactic strategies in this pandemic.

Keywords: acute respiratory distress syndrome; coronavirus disease; cytokine storm; immune dysregulation; lymphopenia; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflict of interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Dysfunctional and dysregulation of innate and adaptive immune responses. Uncontrolled monocyte‐macrophage activation, complement hyper‐activation, and inflammatory responses resulting in tissue damage and systemic inflammation; both contribute to morbidity and mortality in patients with coronavirus disease 2019
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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