The passepartout of Covid-19, Cytokine storm and Kounis syndrome:
Pathophysiologic, Clinical and therapeutic considerations
Abstract
Background: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19), caused by severe acute
respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), along with its
cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, hematologic, mucocutaneous,
respiratory, neurological, renal and testicular manifestations and
further complications constitutes one of the deadliest pandemics in
modern history. A common pathogenetic mechanism of these complications
seems to be the Covid-19-induced excessive immune response of
uncontrolled release of interleukins, chemokines, interferons, tumor
necrosis factors and colony-stimulating factors, the so called cytokine
storm syndrome. Severe anaphylactic reactions with profound hypotension
or hypoxemia can be also associated with release of pro-inflammatory
cytokines. Aim: Careful investigation for similarities in clinical
manifestations and correlated multi-organ complications of Covid-19 with
other viral infections including dengue and human immunodeficiency
viruses together with the action of inflammatory cells inducing the
Kounis syndrome could provide a better understanding on pathophysiolgy
and trigger mechanisms, elucidating potential preventing and therapeutic
strategies. Methods: A search was performed in Medline (via PubMed), for
current literature on the pathophysiology, causality, clinical
appearance, variance, prevention, and treatment of Covid-19, anaphylaxis
with profuse hypotension and the Kounis anaphylaxis associated acute
coronary syndrome. Results: Insights from research in
allergy/anaphylaxis-associated cardiac syndromes and Covid-19, suggest
that the same key immune cells are invollved in cardiovascular
complications of Covid-19 and the anaphylaxis-associated Kounis
syndrome. The myocardial injury in patients with Covid-19 has been
attributed to coronary spasm, plaque rupture and microthrombi, hypoxic
injury or cytokine storm and shares the same patho-physiology with the 3
clinical variants of Kounis syndrome. Conclusion: The patho-physiology,
etiology, clinical manifestations and therapeutic approaches of the
severe Covid-19 and their associations might be proved beneficial for
future treatments. Early immunological interventions targeting
inflammatory markers that are predictive of worse disease outcome would
be more beneficial than those blocking late-appearing cytokine related
storm. Individualized, tailored to each patient treatment approach is
required in Covid-19 cases