These HMGB1 levels correlate significantly with the severity of clinical manifestations, such as the risk for intensive care unit admission and death, the severity of acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the degree of organic impairment, and peak D-dimer levels [9]; this finding points to extracellular HMGB1 as a possible major driver of inflammation in COVID-19. The gene discussed is HMGB1; the disease is acute lung injury.