Role Effectuated by Immune Microenvironment on the Prognosis of COVID-19 Infected Asthmatic Patients and the Potentialities of Repurposing Immunomodulatory Drugs

Abstract

Abstract:: The WHO declared the Coronavirus Outbreak in 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the SARSCOV- 2 virus, as a pandemic on 11 March 2020. When the world was trying to contain the first wave of the outbreak, the newer mutated strains emerged in the UK and South Africa, and accelerated cases of daily infections in some parts of the globe ignited tribulations afresh. Though the mortality percentage is much lower compared to previous SARS and MERS virus outbreaks, overactivated innate immunity and "cytokine storms" were suspected to cause fatality in COVID-19. Innate immunity, s one of the earliest components of host interaction with various infectious pathogens, may play an integral part in cytokine storm generation and contribute to the disease's severity. The effect of COVID-19 on asthma, which is a heterogeneous disease with variable phenotypes, is somewhat contentious. This study aims to address whether pre-existing asthma will have an advantageous or deleterious effect relative to non-asthmatic patients from an immunological perspective, particularly innate immunity. Also, the prospective of immunomodulatory drugs in combating COV-2 infection and disease advancement are highlighted in this review.