Are Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Effective In Patients With COVID-19 Cytokine Storm: A Review

SARS-CoV-2 - Severe acute respiratory syndrome - Coronavirus-2 is one of the most infectious diseases, leading to a pandemic. COVID-19 has extensive involvement in the lower respiratory tract causing acute respiratory syndrome disease (ARDS). No exact treatment is available, so strategies for developing treatment include repurposing of drugs. Pathogenesis of COVID-19 is associated with a cytokine storm in lung alveoli, leading to extensive inflammation and hemorrhage in lung tissue(1). Excessive pro-inflammatory cytokine production contributes to the progression of ARDS, additional tissue damage, multi-organ failure, and death. As there is a correlation between cytokine storm and COVID-19, early management of cytokine storm can improve survival rate and reduce mortality. The authors of this article presented similarities in the pathophysiology of COVID-19 and other inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, an overview of the common cytokines associated with both the diseases, and their inhibitory molecules that can be repurposed for the treatment of COVID-19.