That Cytokine Storm
By Nana Dadzie Ghansah
NOTE: The following is a rather simple discussion of a very, very, very complex topic!
It has long been believed that death from infections due to pathogens like SARS-CoV-2, or even malaria or the flu, is not really from the virulence of the pathogen per se but is often the result of the body mounting an over-the-top innate immune reaction to the invasion of the pathogen.
The human body defends itself from pathogens through its immune system. The immune system has two parts. The part that is responsible for pathogens that the body has never seen before and the part that remembers old pathogens and creates antibodies to fight them the next time they show up.
The part responsible for new pathogens is the innate system while the one that remembers is the adaptive system. Once a new pathogen is engaged by the innate system, it activates the adaptive system so it can start making antibodies.
In some people, the response of the innate system can be so strong that it leads to injury and even death to those human hosts.
To help explain it, let’s do an anlaogy:
Imagine you have big mansion in a neighborhood that has deteriorated over the years. You love the place so you do not want to move. To protect yourself from intruders and burglars, you…
