We have considered some of the available evidence to account for the impact of SARS-CoV on the regulatory control of the autonomic nervous and respiratory systems. Apart from stimulating general interest in the subject, our hope was to provide putative explanations for some of the patients' symptoms based on described physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms seen in other diseases. Herein, we have focused on the carotid bodies. In this hypothetical viewpoint, we have discussed the plasticity of the carotid body chemoreflex and made a comparison between acute and chronic exposures to high altitude with COVID-19. From these discussions, we have postulated that the sensitivity of the hypoxic ventilatory response may well determine the outcome of disease severity and those that live at high altitude may be more resistant. We have provided insight into silent hypoxia and attempted to explain an absence of ventilatory drive and anxiety yet maintenance of consciousness. In an attempt to discover more about the mysteries of COVID-19, we conclude with questions and some hypothetical studies that may answer them.

我们考虑了一些可用的证据来解释 SARS-CoV 对自主神经和呼吸系统的调节控制的影响。除了激发对该主题的普遍兴趣外，我们还希望根据描述的其他疾病的生理和病理生理机制为患者的一些症状提供推定的解释。在这里，我们专注于颈动脉体。在这个假设的观点中，我们讨论了颈动脉体化学反射的可塑性，并对 COVID-19 急性和慢性高海拔暴露进行了比较。从这些讨论中，我们假设缺氧通气反应的敏感性很可能决定疾病严重程度的结果，而那些生活在高海拔地区的人可能更有抵抗力。我们提供了对无声缺氧的深入了解，并试图解释缺乏通气驱动和焦虑但仍保持意识。为了更多地了解 COVID-19 的奥秘，我们以问题和一些可能回答这些问题的假设研究作为结尾。