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. 2021 Jul 15;131(14):e149412. doi: 10.1172/JCI149412

Figure 1. The long clinical course of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia may contribute to multiple organ dysfunction.

Figure 1

The duration of symptoms before the development of respiratory failure and the duration of mechanical ventilation are much longer in patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia than in those with influenza pneumonia. Although peak circulating levels of inflammatory cytokines are similar among patients with SARS-CoV-2 (pink) and patients with influenza pneumonia (purple), the longer duration of illness increases cumulative cytokine exposure (area under the time–cytokine level curve), which may contribute to the secondary multiple organ dysfunction observed in patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia.