Since the beginning of the pandemic, once-esoteric scientific terms have become common parlance—spike protein, PCR, mRNA.
Pathogenesis is not one of them. Yet, when it comes to understanding COVID-19, this may well be the most important word that has yet to make its way into the mainstream lexicon.
Pathogenesis—or “origin of disease”—is the study of the processes that give rise to physiologic dysfunction and illness. In the case of COVID-19, it is the study of virus-induced mischief—how SARS-CoV-2 interacts with various cells, tissues, and organs to cause COVID-19.
As the world inches along on its journey through this ever-evolving pandemic, understanding the “how” of COVID-19 could be the most important question of all.
