Respuesta inmune disfuncional en pacientes con COVID-19. ¿Qué nos dice la evidencia? / Dysfunctional immune response in COVID-19 patients. What does the evidence tell us?

In December 2019 a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was identified in Wuhan, China, and became rapidly the worst pandemic in 100 years. Coronaviruses are respiratory viruses that can cause diseases ranging from mild to fatal lower respiratory tract infections. In a fraction of the affected patients, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and intensive care unit (ICU) admission, both associated with high mortality. To date, the existing evidence suggests a leading role of the immune system in the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19, including mechanisms associated with hyperinflammation, immune evasion, cytokine release syndrome, depletion of functional T cells, and ineffective humoral immunity. Here we discuss the current evidence regarding these findings.