The role of coronavirus infection in lung injury, which contributes to the occurrence of complicated course of community-acquired pneumonia

Abstract

Annotation. The review article focuses on the role of coronavirus infection in lung damage, which contributes to the complicated course of community-acquired pneumonia. Based on the scientometric databases Web of science, Scopus, PubMed, a retrospective analysis of the literature on this topic for 2013-2023 was conducted. 32 sources were selected after reviewing the abstracts of the articles and reading their full text. The results of the search indicate that most people infected with SARS-CoV-2 do not develop severe illness, and the infection is likely to be limited to the upper respiratory tract. However, in some people, infection with the virus leads to severe pneumonia dominated by immunopathology, probably caused by lower respiratory tract infection. Alveolar damage can be a direct consequence of cell infection or an indirect consequence caused by local inflammatory reactions. People with severe COVID-19 often have a tendency to have a delayed immune response. Inflammation and coagulation further exacerbate pro-inflammatory and/or profibrotic reactions, which contributes to the development of complications. Uncontrolled inflammation ultimately leads to severe immunopathology characteristic of COVID-19. In this regard, understanding the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and how it contributes to critical illness and its complications may help to improve risk allocation and develop targeted therapies to reduce the acute and long-term consequences of this disease.