Comparison of Chest CT Findings between COVID-19 Pneumonia and Influenza Pneumonia

Introduction: With increasing global concerns about the prevalence of COVID-19, chest imaging findings are essential for effective diseases diagnosis and treatment. There is a need to distinguish between imaging features of COVID-19 pneumonia and other viral pneumonia like Influenza.For this purpose, a study was performed on a comparison of chest CT findings between COVID-19 pneumonia and Influenza pneumonia. Method(s): Fifty patients with respiratory symptoms and positive real-time PCR (RT-PCR) of nasopharyngeal swab for Influenza and fifty patients with respiratory symptoms and positive real-time PCR (RT-PCR) of nasopharyngeal swabfor COVID-19 from March to May 2020 were enrolled in the study. In the patient's checklist, information such as demographic characteristics (age, sex), laboratory findings including (CRP, ESR, WBC), and clinical signs (fever, cough, fatigue, dyspnea) were also recorded. Result(s): Gastrointestinal symptoms, anorexia, high CRP, ground-glass opacityare more common in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia than in patients with influenza pneumonia and this difference was statistically significant (P <0.05). But, fever is more common in influenza patients than in Covid-19 patients and this difference is statistically significant (P=0.029). The location of CT scan findings in COVID-19 patients was dominant in peripheral (54 %), while the location of CT scan findings in patients with Influenza was dominant in central (32 %), which is statistically significant (P <0.05). Conclusion(s): According to the results of the study, lung CTscan findings along with some clinical and laboratory findings can help differentiate COVID-19 pneumonia from influenza pneumonia, which is very important in faster diagnosis and timely treatment of both diseases.Copyright © 2023 The Russian Archives of Internal Medicine. All rights reserved.

COVID-19 accompanied with intracerebral hemorrhage: A case series

Introduction: The new coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, can potentially involve in the central nervous system. The most important neurological manifestations include dizziness, headache, hypogeusia, hyposmia, ataxia, seizure, ischemic stroke, cerebral hemorrhage, encephalopathy, encephalitis, meningitis, seizure, cerebral vein thrombosis, and Guillain-Barre syndrome. Case Presentation: In this case series, we reported five patients with consciousness alteration and focal neurological deficit and neuroimaging that is consistent with intracerebral hemorrhage. In all patients, there was an association with COVID-19 infection. Conclusions: While the neurological manifestation of COVID-19 has not been appropriately defined, it is possible that a number of patients, particularly those who suffer from a severe illness, had central nervous system involvement. Thus, the neurologists should be aware of the likelihood of any neurological symptoms of COVID-19 infection.

COVID-19 infection recurrence presenting with meningoencephalitis.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection can involve many organs, such as central nervous system, including in relapse. We describe the case of a 64-year-old woman with microbiologically confirmed COVID-19-induced respiratory distress whose treatment resulted in a negative nasopharyngeal swab reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) result for COVID-19. However, after a few weeks, relapse occurred, as indicated by symptoms of acute meningoencephalitis. Results of COVID-19 RT-PCR testing from her cerebrospinal fluid, nasopharyngeal and tracheal aspiration specimens became positive again, but COVID-19 serum antibodies were negative. We therefore note that symptoms with neurologic involvement can be one of COVID-19's first presentations, or they can appear at relapse. Regular evaluation of patients during convalescence is therefore necessary.