COVID‐19‐induced endotheliitis: emerging evidence and possible therapeutic strategies.

Further, factor VIII (FVIII), a potent and key factor in the coagulation process, is greatly increased in ICU patients with COVID-19.16 In this setting, it has been proposed that the systemic hyperinflammation observed in severe COVID-19 is comparable to a cytokine release syndrome (CRS), or cytokine storm. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a viral illness caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2),1 has produced at the time of this writing nearly 33 million cases of infection, with over a million deaths in 235 countries,2 causing an unprecedented burden on healthcare systems and a severe global socioeconomic crisis. COVID-19-induced endotheliitis: emerging evidence and possible therapeutic strategies Most reported cases are asymptomatic or present with mild symptoms; however, 7-26% of hospitalised patients experience severe disease, often requiring admission to intensive care units (ICUs), with progressive multiple organ dysfunction and high mortality.3-5 Such differences in clinical outcomes have led physicians to initiate diverse pharmacological therapies at various stages of the disease, generating challenges as to the most appropriate therapeutic choice for COVID-19. [Extracted from the article]