A Reversible Cause of Cutaneous Rash in a Patient With Alcohol Consumption.

The most common cutaneous manifestations of alcoholism include urticarial reaction, flushing, porphyria cutanea tarda, psoriasis, rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis, and pruritus. Here, we present a case of a young male with a history of alcohol abuse who presented with non-blanching, petechial, and perifollicular macular rash secondary to vitamin C deficiency in view of poor oral intake. The rash improved significantly with vitamin C supplementation. Although rare in developed countries, clinicians should keep vitamin C deficiency as a differential diagnosis for skin rash in alcohol consumers.

Outcomes of Monoclonal Antibody Infusion Treatment During Delta (B.1.617.2) and Omicron (B.1.1.529) COVID 19 Variant Surges among Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Patients.

Background: Coronavirus infection of 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Vaccines supplement public health and social measures in preventing severe illness and mortality from COVID-19; however, vaccination rates remain inadequate in many regions. It is important to continuously explore the effective treatment due to the insufficient vaccination rate and increasing number of patients infected with virus. The emergence of new variants has led to multiple surges throughout the world requiring changes to treatment protocols. Method: We conducted a single-center observational study on all adult patients who received monoclonal antibody (mAb) infusion as a treatment for COVID-19 infection. Based on the predominant variant, patients were either offered Casirivimab (600 mg)/imdevimab (600 mg) or Sotrovimab (500 mg). Forty-six patients were given mAbs; 24 were vaccinated, and the remaining unvaccinated. Result: The mean age was 56 years, and the majority (63.04%) of the patients were female. Clinical symptoms of COVID-19 improved within 3 days of infusion in the majority of the patients (70%). None of the patients who received mAb showed progression of disease or required hospitalization at 30 days follow-up. There were no deaths at 30 days follow-up. Monoclonal antibodies are highly effective in reducing hospitalizations and mortality when given within 7 days of symptoms onset in patients with high-risk factors for progression to severe COVID-19 infection. The mean number of days after the onset at which the mAbs were administered to the patient was 4. Conclusion: Monoclonal antibodies should be considered in both vaccinated and unvaccinated patients with COVID-19 infection if newer antiviral agents are contraindicated. Our study highlights the effectiveness of monoclonal antibody infusions when given early in the course of COVID-19 infection regardless of vaccination status.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Gastrointestinal Tract: A Clinical Review.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly throughout the world, causing a pandemic that has resulted in more than 5 million deaths globally. The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is known to have high expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors in the human body, making it prone to direct damage from the cellular invasion of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Numerous GI symptoms have been reported among patients with COVID-19. This systemic review details the mechanism and effects of COVID-19 on the GI tract along with the hepatobiliary and pancreatic systems.

A High-Risk Patient With COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Successfully Treated With Monoclonal Antibodies Through Two Major Surges.

Vaccine hesitancy remains a significant challenge in managing the current pandemic despite highly effective vaccines in the United States. Monoclonal antibodies (mAb) are an essential addition to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment, along with oral antiviral agents (OAA), for non-hospitalized patients having risk factors for progression to severe COVID-19, especially in unvaccinated people. We present a case of a 74-year-old unvaccinated Hispanic woman with a history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary artery disease, obesity, and asthma who survived two episodes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS­CoV­2) infections in January 2021 and December 2021 with exclusive use of mAb. Our case highlights the importance of using mAbs for treating high-risk patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially in patients with vaccine hesitancy.

Acute Kidney Injury Incidence, Stage, and Recovery in Patients with COVID-19.

Purpose: To determine the incidence, mortality, stage, and recovery of acute kidney injury (AKI) in COVID-19 patients and further analyze the effect of patient demographics and comorbidities on AKI incidence. Study Design: Our study looked at 1545 charts of patients over 18 years old who presented to BronxCare Hospital in NY with a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test. Using the KDIGO criteria, any patient presenting with a creatinine of 1.5 times the baseline or that had an increase in creatinine of 0.3mg/dL in 48 hours was diagnosed with AKI. Pregnant patients, patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and patients with a history of renal transplant were excluded. Results: The incidence of AKI in COVID-19 patients was 39% (608), and the mortality rate was 58.2% (354). Of the 254 survivors, 74.8% recovered. Moreover, 42.6% (259) of patients with AKI were admitted to the ICU. Twenty-six of our patients received hemodialysis during admission. There was a statistically significant association between AKI and age, race, hypertension (HTN), diabetes mellitus (DM), hepatitis C (HCV), congestive heart failure (CHF), CKD, patient outcome, and days spent in the hospital. Of the 608 patients with AKI, 294 (48.4%), 185 (30.4%) and 129 (21.2%) had AKI stage 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Conclusion: Early resource planning is necessary when admitting COVID-19 patients. Nephrology should be consulted early, and measures should be in place to optimize outpatient follow-up in the nephrology clinic. Lastly, the use of nephrotoxic agents should be carefully considered and, if possible, avoided from the time of admission in patients with COVID-19.

Apixaban Causing Hepatic Cystic Bleeding: A Rare but a Life-Threatening Complication.

Cystic lesions of the liver are a heterogeneous group of disorders with varied etiology, prevalence, and clinical manifestations. Fibropolycystic liver disease encompasses a spectrum of related liver and biliary tract lesions caused by abnormal embryologic development of the ductal plates. These disorders include congenital hepatic fibrosis, biliary hamartomas, polycystic liver disease (PCLD), choledochal cysts, and Carolis disease. PCLD is arbitrarily defined as a liver that contains >20 cysts. Most liver cysts are incidentally found on imaging studies, and the majority of the patients with liver cysts are asymptomatic. Rarely, complications such as compression, infection, and bleeding within the cyst can occur. Under the effect of the increased pressure, the epithelial lining of the cyst undergoes necrosis and sloughing, causing injury of the fragile blood vessels, leading to intracystic bleeding. The bleeding within or from the cyst can be precipitated by anticoagulation. We present a patient with PCLD who developed intracystic bleeding after he was started on apixaban for the prevention of thromboembolism.

Pulmonary Embolism in COVID-19 Pneumonia: Random Association or Causality?

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing pandemic. COVID-19 leads to a plethora of clinical syndromes, most commonly affecting the pulmonary system but also the cardiovascular, hematologic, and gastrointestinal systems. There is emerging evidence of an association between COVID-19 and venous thromboembolism (VTE). In this report, we have discussed three cases with a COVID-19 infection, whose clinical course was complicated by the presence of pulmonary embolism (PE) without evident risk factors for VTE. All three patients presented with hypoxia and were found to have elevated D-dimer levels. Subsequently, the patients underwent computed tomography (CT) angiography of the chest, which confirmed the presence of pulmonary embolism. Anticoagulation was initiated per guidelines. There is a need to have a low threshold for suspecting pulmonary embolism in patients with COVID-19 infection who present with a sudden onset of severe hypoxia. There is a dire need to increase awareness among health care providers regarding this manifestation of the virus.