Cytokine storms associated with respiratory virus infection and targeted therapy strategies / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

ABSTRACT

Since December 2019, the novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, SARS-CoV-2) infection has broken out worldwide, causing enormous social and economic burdens.Sudden exacerbations in SARS-CoV-2 infected people may be caused by infection-related cytokine storms.The basic state of the body and the strength of the immune response determine the prognosis of SARS-CoV-2.The interaction between proinflammatory factors and anti-inflammatory factors, and continued proinflammatory response cause lung edema, exudation, progression to acute respiratory distress syndrome involving the lung tissues and organs, multi-organ failure, and even death.The efficacy of antiviral therapy alone for immune complications like cytokine storm during viral infection is not ideal, and the targeted therapy of cytokines has become a potentially popular therapeutic strategy.Early identification and appropriate treatment of immune complications contribute to reduce the morbidity and mortality of severe viral infections.