Circulating Plasminogen Concentration at Admission in Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Brandon Michael Henry, Stefanie W. Benoit, Jonathan Hoehn, Giuseppe Lippi, Emmanuel J. Favaloro, Justin L. Benoit
Abstract
The pathophysiology of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has puzzled the medical community, hampering the ability to generate efficient targeted therapies.[1] Although SARS-CoV-2 is considered a primary respiratory pathogen, COVID-19 should be instead characterized as both a respiratory and systemic thrombotic disease.[2] Conventionally termed COVID-19-associated coagulopathy (CAC), this hypercoagulable state is characterized by high risk of developing micro- and macrothromboemboli, impacting both arteries and veins.[2] While initially affecting the pulmonary microvasculature, systemic involvement develops as the disease progresses, leading to thrombosis in distant organs and multiorgan dysfunction syndrome.[2]