More Than Pneumonia, The Potential Occurrence of Multiple Organ Failure in 2019 Novel Coronavirus Infection
4 Pages Posted: 5 Feb 2020
Date Written: February 5, 2020
Abstract
Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in the lung has been recognized as the key receptor of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) as people may get infected through the respiratory tract. However, the clinical features of other systems have not been addressed yet. More than the respiratory system, ACE2 also extensively expressed in the vascular endothelial cells of the heart, kidney, liver, intestine, and testis, etc. In other words, the new coronavirus may probably intrude on any tissues or organs as long as the needed number of ACE2 is available. Therefore, once exposed to the coronavirus (e.g. through the blood or other body fluid), these organs may also get affected especially for those the receptor has the direct-acting control. This paper aims to analyze the possibility of the association between 2019-nCoV infection and the multiple organ failure (MOF) other than pneumonia.
Keywords: Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), blood-air barrier, multiple organ failure(MOF)
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