Genes & Diseases ( IF 6.9 ) Pub Date : 2020-06-29 , DOI: 10.1016/j.gendis.2020.06.009 Shi-Hui Lin 1 , Yi-Si Zhao 1 , Dai-Xing Zhou 2 , Fa-Chun Zhou 1 , Fang Xu 1
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first identified in China at the end of 2019. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) represents the most common and serious complication of COVID-19. Cytokine storms are a pathophysiological feature of COVID-19 and play an important role in distinguishing hyper-inflammatory subphenotypes of ARDS. Accordingly, in this review, we focus on hyper-inflammatory host responses in ARDS that play a critical role in the differentiated development of COVID-19. Furthermore, we discuss inflammation-related indicators that have the potential to identify hyper-inflammatory subphenotypes of COVID-19, especially for those with a high risk of ARDS. Finally, we explore the possibility of improving the quality of monitoring and treatment of COVID-19 patients and in reducing the incidence of critical illness and mortality via better distinguishing hyper- and hypo-inflammatory subphenotypes of COVID-19.