The Potential Role of Cytokine Storm Pathway in the Clinical Course of Viral Respiratory Pandemic
Giuseppe Murdaca,
Francesca Paladin,
Alessandro Tonacci,
Stefania Isola,
Alessandro Allegra,
Sebastiano Gangemi
Affiliations
Giuseppe Murdaca
Clinical Immunology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa and Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Francesca Paladin
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa and Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Alessandro Tonacci
Clinical Physiology Institute, National Research Council of Italy (IFC-CNR), 56124 Pisa, Italy
Stefania Isola
School and Operative Unit of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy
Alessandro Allegra
Division of Hematology, Department of Human Pathology in Adulthood and Childhood “Gaetano Barresi”, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy
Sebastiano Gangemi
School and Operative Unit of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy
The “cytokine storm” (CS) consists of a spectrum of different immune dysregulation disorders characterized by constitutional symptoms, systemic inflammation and multiorgan dysfunction triggered by an uncontrolled immune response. Particularly in respiratory virus infections, the cytokine storm plays a primary role in the pathogenesis of respiratory disease and the clinical outcome of respiratory diseases, leading to complications such as alveolar edema and hypoxia. In this review, we wanted to analyze the different pathogenetic mechanisms involved in the various respiratory viral pandemics (COVID-19; SARS; MERS; H1N1 influenza A and Spanish flu) which have affected humans in this and last century, with particular attention to the phenomenon of the “cytokine storm” which determines the clinical severity of the respiratory disease and consequently its lethality.
