Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2) pandemic
represents a very serious health public concern. This pathogen causes
Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19). It is a clinical condition,
asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic in most of the patients, although, in a
variable number of cases, it can be characterized by the development of
very serious complications and by death. The pathogenetic mechanisms,
responsible for this syndrome, are not fully understood and further
studies are needed. However, according to our knowledge, after the early
phase of viral infection, interactions between SARS-CoV-2 and host take
place, and a state of immune system response dysregulation and
hypercoagulability occurs. The individuals affected by SARS-CoV-2
infection experience an inflammatory response of different magnitude. In
this review, we examine the events originating during COVID-19 disease
and focus mainly on the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and IL-1β as
well as on the generation of the excessive systemic inflammatory
response with the development of endotheliitis, thrombosis, and
micro-thrombosis, detectable in this syndrome. Furthermore, we describe
in brief the process of immune system dysregulation associated with
SARS-CoV-2 infection and the onset of some life-threatening conditions,
such as Acute Lung Injury (ALI), Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
(ARDS), and ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI), which are observed in
some patients with COVID-19.