MicroRNA 205-5p and COVID-19 adverse outcomes: Potential molecular biomarker and regulator of the immune response.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory infection caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The uncontrolled systemic inflammatory response, resulting from the release of large amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines, is the main mechanism behind severe acute respiratory syndrome and multiple organ failure, the two main causes of death in COVID-19. Epigenetic mechanisms, such as gene expression regulation by microRNAs (miRs), may be at the basis of the immunological changes associated with COVID-19.