Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) as the Main Causative Death in Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) Patients

An adequate immune system is needed eliminate of pathogens and infectious diseases. COVID-19 is one of the most contagious respiratory diseases transmitted by close and indirect contact between humans. Lungs are the primary organ target of COVID-19, and its principal characteristic is pneumonia. The COVID-19 infection consists of three phases: asymptomatic phase, non-severe symptomatic phase, and severe symptomatic which is commonly followed by ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome). Pulmonary edema, acute hypoxia, and inflammatory cell buildup in the lungs are all symptoms of ARDS, which leads to cytokine storm. The proinflammatory cytokines that involve in ARDS are interleukin-1, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and IL-6. The increased number of macrophages, neutrophils, and T cells may contribute to trigger ARDS, multiple organ dysfunction syndromes (MODS) and failure of the coagulation system. Severe hypoxia caused by ARDS and MODS is one of the common causative deaths in COVID-19 patient.