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The severe COVID-19: A sepsis induced by viral infection? And its immunomodulatory therapy
1Forth Medical Center, General Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China.
Insights
Severe COVID-19 shares characteristics with sepsis, suggesting immunomodulatory therapy may be beneficial. Accumulated experience with sepsis immunotherapy offers insights for treating severe coronavirus disease 2019.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Critical Care Medicine
- Immunology
Background:
- COVID-19 exhibits high infectivity, rapid transmission, and significant mortality.
- Clinical and pathological findings suggest COVID-19 resembles sepsis caused by viral infection.
- Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the potential of immunomodulatory therapy for severe COVID-19.
- To draw parallels between COVID-19 and sepsis based on pathophysiology.
- To leverage existing knowledge of sepsis immunotherapy for novel coronavirus disease 2019 treatment strategies.
Main Methods:
- Review of clinical manifestations, autopsy findings, and pathophysiology of COVID-19.
- Analysis of established immunomodulatory approaches for sepsis.
- Synthesis of existing literature on sepsis immunotherapy.
Main Results:
- COVID-19 presents with characteristics akin to sepsis from other pathogens.
- Immunomodulatory therapy is a potential treatment avenue for severe COVID-19.
- Past decades of sepsis immunotherapy research provide valuable experience.
Conclusions:
- Viewing severe COVID-19 as viral sepsis supports the consideration of immunomodulatory treatments.
- Further research into immunotherapy for COVID-19 is warranted, drawing from sepsis protocols.
- Consistent application of immunotherapy principles may improve outcomes in severe coronavirus disease 2019.
Abstract:
COVID-19 is known for its magical infectivity, fast transmission and high death toll based on the large number of infected people. From the perspective of the clinical manifestation, autopsy examination and pathophysiology, the essence of COVID-19 should be viewed as a sepsis induced by viral infection, and has the essential characteristics as sepsis induced by other pathogens. Therefore, in addition to etiological and supportive treatment, immunomodulatory therapy is also appropriate to severe COVID-19. Although there is still a lack of consensus on immunotherapy for sepsis so far, relatively rich experiences have been accumulated in the past decades, which will help us in the treatment of severe COVID-19. This article will elaborate immunotherapy of sepsis, though it may not be consistent.
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