COVID‐19 is frequently associated with severe systemic consequences, including vasculitis, a hyperinflammatory state and hypercoagulation. The mechanisms leading to these life‐threatening abnormalities are multifactorial. Based on the analysis of publicly available interactomes, we propose that SARS‐CoV‐2 infection directly causes a deficiency in C1 esterase inhibitor (C1‐INH), a pathogen‐specific mechanism that may help explain significant systemic abnormalities in COVID‐19 patients.
C1‐INH and the contact system in COVID‐19