In some patients, COVID-19 can cause acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This is a very serious condition that causes alveolar damage to the lungs, can cause pulmonary thrombosis and often requires ventilator support. A majority of patients undergoing treatment for COVID-19 in intensive care units have developed ARDS.
In a recent paper, Miklós Lipcsey and colleagues have studied components of the intravascular innate immune system (IIIS) in relation to COVID-19 ARDS.