Autoantibodies in Covid‐19 – a model for viral induced autoimmunity.

Additionally, in most cases patients' basal autoantibody levels are not available, making it difficult to give a clear statement regarding the coherence of autoimmune phenomena and antibodies with a SARS-CoV-2 infection. The novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is suspected of acting as a trigger for autoimmune diseases and the production of autoantibodies. These aggregates activate transcription factor NF- B, which in turn stimulates the production of Type I IFN, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and further pro-inflammatory cytokines.15 Activation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) follows Type I IFN-mediated activation of B cells which can lead to autoantibody production, e.g, anti-MDA5 antibodies. gl 1 TableOverview of reported autoantibodies in articles included in meta-analysis. [Extracted from the article]