Organ Involvement in COVID 19: Lung and Beyond

ABSTRACT

Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) evolved into a pandemic to torment the world since the last 15 months and has resulted in millions of individuals getting affected. It has caused significant strain on the health care systems in developed and developing countries alike. It has killed more than two million patients globally. The potential of this virus to cause multi-organ dysfunction with associated significant mortality and morbidity has made it the most formidable enemy we have faced since the great plague. COVID-19 is becoming a mystery with its plethora of typical and atypical clinical presentations. Its ability to get attached to widely distributed human angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (hACE2) receptors, has enabled it to cause multi-organ dysfunction and extensive disease. In this chapter, we review the pulmonary and extra-pulmonary manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 and try to elucidate organ-specific patho-physiology. Organ dysfunction leading to a myriad of cardiac dysfunction, symptoms related to gut and liver, nervous system involvement, renal and ocular injury is being discussed in this chapter. An effort to raise awareness of the potential to cause long covid syndrome is being made to identify the possible burden of morbidity we might have to experience post covid 19 pandemic. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021.