What is a Cytokine Storm in COVID-19 Cases?

By Susan Tanner, MD – complete article written originally for and found at SinusitisWellness.com.

As we move forward in our understanding of the COVID-19 virus, it is generally believed that most health complications from this disease are from complete dysregulation of the immune system leading to a process called a cytokine storm. But what does this term mean?

To start, a brief and extremely simplified explanation of cytokine storm starts with the immune response. When a foreign cell enters the bloodstream, and in the case of Coronavirus, this is likely through the respiratory system, there is a release of specific substances or cytokines within the white blood cells. These cytokines are meant to protect the body from this foreign invader. The release of cytokines is inflammatory, and again, in the case of Coronavirus, they are HIGHLY inflammatory. Part of the reason for this is that this is a new virus in humans. We have no pre-existing cells that recognize it in any way; so, the immune response is extra forceful. It can be illustrated by thinking of how forcefully you would yell at a stranger to “GET OUT!” of your house, versus the force with which you would yell the same command at an annoying sibling. One is a life or death exclamation of force, while the other is probably quite loud, but is not everything you’ve got.

Click here to read how the release of this inflammation causes damage, and what we can do to support our immune system and avoid exposure to the virus.

By Susan Tanner, MD