What Is a Cytokine Storm and Should It Matter to Me?

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has brought attention to cytokines and the phenomenon of cytokine storm into mainstream discussions. In this disease specifically, a cytokine storm overwhelming immune response contributes to the pathophysiology and mortality of the COVID-19 infection. Analogous perturbed immune reactions are experienced in polytrauma patients, compromising local tissue healing while threatening multiple organ systems. The expanding field of osteoimmunology should contribute to the orthopaedic community's understanding of how the immune system response, whether normal or pathologic, affects the whole body outcome of our patients.

Automated summary

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the role of cytokines and cytokine storm in the pathophysiology and mortality of the disease. Similar dysregulated immune responses are seen in polytrauma patients, affecting tissue healing and multiple organ systems. The expanding field of osteoimmunology should enhance the orthopaedic community's understanding of how immune responses impact patient outcomes.