Leaders in Pharmaceutical Business Intelligence (LPBI) Group

A Compendium of Coronavirus Must Reads from AAAS journal Science

Curator: Stephen J. Williams, PhD

How does coronavirus kill? Clinicians trace a ferocious rampage through the body, from brain to toes

By Meredith Wadman, Jennifer Couzin-Frankel, Jocelyn Kaiser, Catherine MatacicApr. 17, 2020 , 6:45 PM

Some clinicians suspect the driving force in many gravely ill patients’ downhill trajectories is a disastrous overreaction of the immune system known as a “cytokine storm,” which other viral infections are known to trigger. Cytokines are chemical signaling molecules that guide a healthy immune response; but in a cytokine storm, levels of certain cytokines soar far beyond what’s needed, and immune cells start to attack healthy tissues. Blood vessels leak, blood pressure drops, clots form, and catastrophic organ failure can ensue.