Abstract:
The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
(SARS-CoV2) in December 2019 form Wuhan, China leads to coronavirus
disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. COVID-19 is accompanied by multi-organ
failure in severe patients. The involvement of different organs in
severe patients results in lengthening the hospitalization duration and
increasing the mortality rate. The multi-organ dysfunction is
characterized by acute lung failure, acute liver failure, acute kidney
injury, cardiovascular disease, and as well as a wide spectrum of
hematological abnormalities and neurological disorders. The most
important mechanisms are related to the direct and indirect pathogenic
features of SARS-CoV2. Although the presence of angiotensin-converting
enzyme 2, a receptor of SARS-CoV2 in the lung, heart, kidney, testis,
liver, lymphocytes, and nervous system was confirmed, there are
controversial findings to about the observation of SARS-CoV2 RNA in
these organs. Moreover, the organ failure may be induced by the cytokine
storm, a result of increased levels of inflammatory mediators,
endothelial dysfunction, coagulation abnormalities, and infiltration of
inflammatory cells into the organs. Therefore, further investigations
are needed to detect the exact mechanisms of pathogenesis. Since the
involvement of several organs in COVID-19 patients is important for
clinicians, increasing their knowledge may help to improve the outcomes
and decrease the rate of mortality and morbidity.