Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/eTOJda0q0qc   The coronavirus creates  lethal multi-organ damage in part by inducing an of the immune system hyperstimulation known as a cytokine storm.  Ironically, social isolation to halt the spread of the CoVid19 epidemic may make a cytokine storm worse.   A new British meta-analysis of 30 studies found a solid connection between social distancing and a rise in circulating inflammatory mediators including c-reactive protein and fibrinogen.  Loneliness is associated with increased IL-6, another inflammatory protein.   To avoid infection, you must physically distance yourself from others.  To maintain an emotional connection, though, our current batch of video-chat apps including Facetime and Skype facilitates face-to face interactions without risk of contamination.    Kimberley J. Smith, Shannon Gavey, Natalie E. RIddell, Panagiota Kontari, Christina Victor. The association between loneliness, social isolation and inflammation: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuroscienc