Open AccessPathogenesis of COVID-19: ACE2, Cytokine Storm and Extrapulmonary Manifestations
Author(s) -
Muhammad Naeem,
Abdul Muhaymin Muhaymin,
Hyder Wajid Abbasi,
Naeem Ullah,
Adnan Haider,
Syed Babar Jamal,
Fazli Subhan
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
life and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2708-2970
pISSN - 2521-0475
DOI - 10.37185/lns.1.1.199
Subject(s) - cytokine storm , medicine , coronavirus , immunology , pathogenesis , pneumonia , pandemic , diarrhea , viral pathogenesis , covid-19 , viral pneumonia , immune system , disease , intensive care medicine , infectious disease (medical specialty) , virus , viral replication
The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic of the twenty-first century and currently fourthwave is creating fear and panic worldwide. It is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-COV-2), a highly contagious viral infection of humans. The COVID-19 can be spread mainly throughrespiratory droplet particles and in contact with a COVID-19 infected person. Clinical manifestation of COVID-19patients includes cough, fever, diarrhea, loss of taste and smell. In critical cases of COVID-19, the developmentof pneumonia and dyspnea leads to acute respiratory distress syndrome that may cause the death of thepatient. It is well established that Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors on alveolar cells act as anentry gate for the SARS-COV-2. However, ACE2 is also highly expressed in multiple extrapulmonary vital organssuch as the gastrointestinal system, cardiovascular system, kidney, etc. Therefore, the direct viral entry in theseorgans can be a likely pathway of injury. In addition, decoupling of immune responses leads to the cytokinesstorm, which might contribute to the injury of extrapulmonary organs. In this review, we report the multipleorgan pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of COVID-19 patients, which could aid clinicians and researchersin prioritizing therapeutics remedies and developing research for all vital body systems involved.