id	author	title	date	pages	extension	mime	words	sentences	flesch	summary	cache	txt
cord-295523-5pv7kw6i	Picchianti Diamanti, Andrea	Cytokine Release Syndrome in COVID-19 Patients, A New Scenario for an Old Concern: The Fragile Balance between Infections and Autoimmunity	2020-05-08		.txt	text/plain	7905	390	39	However, in about 20% of patients, the infection progresses to severe interstitial pneumonia and can induce an uncontrolled host-immune response, leading to a life-threatening condition called cytokine release syndrome (CRS). We critically review the rationale for the adoption of immunosuppressive agents, commonly used in autoimmune diseases, in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection and report current knowledge of ongoing studies. The exacerbated reaction to infections or to biological therapy is caused by the rapid recruitment of macrophages and neutrophils, which produce pro-inflammatory cytokines and alter the fragile balance between a controlled immune response and a host-damaging reaction. As of now, four clinical trials are recruiting patients with COVID-19, severe acute respiratory failure, and CRS, aiming at evaluating the safety and effectiveness of anakinra alone or in combination with anti-IL-6 agents (NCT04330638, NCT0432402, NCT04357366, NCT04339712). High disease activity is associated with an increased risk of infection in patients with rheumatoid arthritis	./cache/cord-295523-5pv7kw6i.txt	./txt/cord-295523-5pv7kw6i.txt