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. 2020 Dec 15;33(2):155–162. doi: 10.1097/BOR.0000000000000776

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Copyright © 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

This article is made available via the PMC Open Access Subset for unrestricted re-use and analyses in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic or until permissions are revoked in writing. Upon expiration of these permissions, PMC is granted a perpetual license to make this article available via PMC and Europe PMC, consistent with existing copyright protections.

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Similar immune reactions in SARS-CoV-2 infection and autoimmune diseases. Both COVID-19 and autoimmune diseases present with various clinical symptoms involving different organs and systems, such as the haematological system, cardiovascular system, digestive system, kidneys, lungs, neurological system and pancreas. Organ damage is caused by uncontrolled immune response characterized by excessive production of cytokines and overactivation of immune cells, and the break of immune tolerance leading to the production of autoantibodies. SARS-CoV-2 infection can trigger cross-reactivity through molecular mimicry, leading to autoimmunity in patients with COVID-19.