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SARS‐CoV‐2 and inflammatory responses: From mechanisms to the potential therapeutic use of intravenous immunoglobulin
Author(s) -
Mascolo Silvia,
Carleo Maria A.,
Contieri Marcella,
Izzo Sara,
Perna Angelica,
De Luca Antonio,
Esposito Vincenzo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/jmv.26651
Subject(s) - medicine , pandemic , covid-19 , immunotherapy , immunology , coronavirus , antibody , virology , intensive care medicine , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , immune system , outbreak , pathology
A novel coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2) is responsible for a severe acute respiratory syndrome called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). It is originated in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Due to its extreme transmissibility with droplets and human contacts, in a few months, it has become a pandemic. Nowadays, no effective therapy is available, and the scientific community is moving to find a therapeutic choice to fight this silent enemy. Studies are ongoing on several therapeutic options, including antiviral agents, immunomodulant drugs, and immunotherapy. Due to viral features, including the ability to start an inflammatory response that seems to be the fulcrum of COVID‐19 pathogenic action, immunotherapy could represent a promising alternative waiting for the vaccine. High‐dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), already used in other infectious diseases, could represent an effective help. The aim of this narrative review is to reassemble the clinical experiences on the use of IVIg in COVID‐19 and the rationale of its use.