An Update on Pathogenesis, Diagnosis and Treatment of COVID-19-Related Cytokine Storm

CoronaVirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral infection caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is globally influential and has killed more than 6 million patients until today.Hyper-secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines triggered by the viral infection that cannot be eliminated by the immune system and an ongoing hyper-inflammatory state primarily in the lung seem to be the major causes of death.The mechanisms proposed to explain the pathogenesis of the cytokine storm associated with COVID-19 included poor viral clearance and persistent robust cytokine response despite inadequate antiviral immunity.The diagnosis can be made easily by clinical features, imaging techniques, and nasopharyngeal PCR.The diagnosis of this hyper-inflammatory state in a patient with COVID-19 can be made with rapid deterioration in clinical features, and laboratory findings including abnormally high serum CRP, ferritin and D-dimer levels, and rapidly progressive pulmonary radiological findings.In addition to the anti-viral and supportive treatments, corticosteroids, IL-1, or IL-6 receptor blockers are frequently used to suppress the increased cytokine response.