The disease is caused by a newly identified strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) associated coronavirus, which was named SARS-CoV-2 after SARS-CoV that caused the epidemic of SARS in 2002. COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic by WHO on 11 March 2020. Since December 2019, a novel infection named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) broke out in Wuhan, China, and has been sweeping across the globe. The infection risk and prognosis of COVID-19 in patients with autoimmune diseases remains controversial, but patient adherence to medication regimens to prevent autoimmune disease flares is strongly recommended. It is speculated that SARS-CoV-2 can disturb self-tolerance and trigger autoimmune responses through cross-reactivity with host cells. Moreover, some patients have been reported to develop autoimmune diseases, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome or systemic lupus erythematosus, after COVID-19 infection. Autoantibodies as a hallmark of autoimmune diseases can also be detected in COVID-19 patients. Robust immune reactions participate in the pathogenesis of both disease conditions. COVID-19 shares similarities with autoimmune diseases in clinical manifestations, immune responses and pathogenic mechanisms. Evidence suggests that some medications used to treat autoimmune rheumatologic diseases might have therapeutic effect in patients with severe COVID-19 infections, drawing attention to the relationship between COVID-19 and autoimmune diseases. Although most of the infected individuals are asymptomatic, a proportion of patients with COVID-19 develop severe disease with multiple organ injuries. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) associated coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Autoimmune phenomena symptoms