Pathophysiology of the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: Insights from Clinical Studies

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a heterogeneous clinical syndrome that manifests secondary to numerous etiologic insults, and consequently it is associated with a multitude of pathophysiological abnormalities. Despite more than 50 years of experimental studies, translation of these benchside discoveries into effective biological therapies has been elusive. In this review, some of the key advances made in our knowledge of the pathophysiology of ARDS, based on histopathology, imaging, protein, and transcriptomic biomarkers, are presented. Finally, the role of such human studies in understanding the pathophysiology of coronavirus disease 2019-related ARDS is reviewed.