Management of advanced thymoma presenting with myasthenia gravis in a resource-limited setting: A case report

@#Thymomas are rare tumours which generally account for only 0.2 – 1.5% of mediastinal tumours in adults. Around 40% of patients present with systemic symptoms such as motor weakness due to myasthenia gravis (MG), pure red cell aplasia, and hypogammaglobulinemia. Based on recent guidelines, management of advanced thymoma uses a multimodal approach, which is thymectomy followed by radiotherapy, but not all health care centers have radiotherapy facilities. A 52-year-old woman presented with nasal voice and had difficulty swallowing food. Patient was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG). CT scan with contrast of the thorax showed a heterogenous solid mass in anterior mediastinum. Histopathological examination showed thymoma type B2. Thymectomy followed by seven cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy were done on the patient. Evaluation afterward showed complete remission of thymoma. The patient’s motor weakness improved after the chemotherapy. Post-chemotherapy period was uneventful at six months on follow-up visit. The dosage of acetylcholinesterase inhibitor drug is reduced periodically due to improvement in motor weakness. The case emphasizes how to manage an advanced thymoma with MG with limited therapeutic options, and the importance of multidisciplinary management involving oncologists, surgeons, and neurologists.

Acute Kidney Injury in COVID-19 is Associated with Mortality: A Meta-Analysis

@#BACKGROUND: By March 2020, The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) as a global pandemic. Further investigations found that COVID-19 may lead to acute kidney injury (AKI). Some studies have been done, but the incidence and outcome of AKI in COVID-19 are variable between studies. Moreover, given the high number of COVID-19 cases in our country, we aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis regarding the detailed outcome of AKI in COVID-19 patients as reported in the available literature. METHODS: We performed a comprehensive literature search from several databases, such as Europe PMC, PubMed, ProQuest, Directory of Open Access Journal (DOAJ), and related references between December 1, 2019, and December 5, 2020. The primary outcome was mortality, and the secondary outcomes were the need for Intensive Care Unit (ICU) care, severe and critical COVID-19 infection, and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). RESULTS: There were a total of 25,990 patients from 21 studies. Acute kidney injury was associated with increased odds of mortality (OR 13.43 [8.35, 21.60], p < 0.00001; I2 : 82%, p < 0.00001), need for ICU care (OR 14.57 [8.51, 24.94], p < 0.00001; I2: 84%; p < 0.0001), critical COVID-19 (OR 10.41 [3.88, 27.90], p < 0.00001; I2: 67%; p = 0.02), and ARDS (OR 2.84 [1.30, 6.22], p = 0.009; I2: 91%; p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Acute kidney injury is associated with mortality, need for ICU care, critical COVID-19 patients, and ARDS.