ReviewFrontiers in immunology2020
COVID-19: In the Eye of the Cytokine Storm.
Review in Frontiers in immunology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 94 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
94 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 134 citations in OpenAlex.
- New trends and hotspots in Sepsis-associated encephalopathy research: a bibliometric and visualization analysis.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- SARS-CoV-2-neutralising monoclonal antibodies to prevent COVID-19.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Reduce SARS-CoV2-Induced Inflammatory Cytokines Under High Glucose and Uremic Toxin Conditions.Stem cells and development · 2021Pooled it
- The effect of tocilizumab on COVID-19 patient mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.International immunopharmacology · 2021Pooled it
- Enpatoran in COVID-19 pneumonia: Safety and efficacy results from a phase II randomized trial.Clinical and translational science · 2023Trial
- An investigation into the beneficial effects of high-dose interferon beta 1-a, compared to low-dose interferon beta 1-a in severe COVID-19: The COVIFERON II randomized controlled trial.International immunopharmacology · 2021Trial
- Immunomodulatory strategies for managing cytokine storms in chronic COVID: mechanisms, therapeutic targets, and clinical advances.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2026Review
- Consideration of Cardiovascular Morbidities in the Relationship between Ambient Air Pollution Exposure and Individual-Level Adverse COVID-19 Outcomes: A Systematic Review.Current epidemiology reports · 2025Article
- Outcomes of COVID-19 During the First Wave in Saudi Arabia: An Observational Study of ICU Cases from a Single Hospital.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Research prioritisation in preparedness for and response to outbreaks of high-consequence pathogens: a scoping review.BMC medicine · 2025Article
- IL-1β-driven NF-κB transcription of ACE2 as a Mechanism of Macrophage Infection by SARS-CoV-2.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Change in exacerbation rate of COPD patients before and after COVID-19 infection.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Autopsy findings in cancer patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 show a milder presentation of COVID-19 compared to non-cancer patients.GeroScience · 2024Article
- Assessment of myocardial injury by SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging in patients with COVID-19 infection in a single center after lifting the restrictions in China.Annals of nuclear medicine · 2024Article
- Coronavirus nucleocapsid protein enhances the binding of p-PKCα to RACK1: Implications for inhibition of nucleocytoplasmic trafficking and suppression of the innate immune response.PLoS pathogens · 2024Article
- Article
- A retrospective cohort study on the association between nutritional status and prognosis in COVID-19 patients with severe and critical infection.The Journal of international medical research · 2024Article
- Impacts of COVID-19 on hemostasis: coagulation abnormalities and management perspectives.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2024Review
- Potential Immune-Inflammatory Proteome Biomarkers for Guiding the Treatment of Patients with Primary Acute Angle-Closure Glaucoma Caused by COVID-19.Journal of proteome research · 2024Article
- Genomic Evolution Strategy in SARS-CoV-2 Lineage B: Coevolution ofCurrent issues in molecular biology · 2024Article
34 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The dysregulated release of cytokines has been identified as one of the key factors behind poorer outcomes in COVID-19. This "cytokine storm" produces an excessive inflammatory and immune response, especially in the lungs, leading to acute respiratory distress (ARDS), pulmonary edema and multi-organ failure. Alleviating this inflammatory state is crucial to improve prognosis. Pro-inflammatory factors play a central role in COVID-19 severity, especially in patients with comorbidities. In these situations, an overactive, untreated immune response can be deadly, suggesting that mortality in COVID-19 cases is likely due to this virally driven hyperinflammation. Administering immunomodulators has not yielded conclusive improvements in other pathologies characterized by dysregulated inflammation such as sepsis, SARS-CoV-1, and MERS. The success of these drugs at reducing COVID-19-driven inflammation is still anecdotal and comes with serious risks. It is also imperative to screen the elderly for risk factors that predispose them to severe COVID-19. Immunosenescence and comorbidities should be taken into consideration. In this review, we summarize the latest data available about the role of the cytokine storm in COVID-19 disease severity as well as potential therapeutic approaches to ameliorate it. We also examine the role of inflammation in other diseases and conditions often comorbid with COVID-19, such as aging, sepsis, and pulmonary disorders. Finally, we identify gaps in our knowledge and suggest priorities for future research aimed at stratifying patients according to risk as well as personalizing therapies in the context of COVID19-driven hyperinflammation.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.