Left Atrial Septal Pouch Thrombosis after Covid19 Infection: Is Immunothrombosis the Culprit Mechanism?

Aims: The atrial septal pouch (ASP) is an incomplete fusion between septum primum (SP) and septum secundum (SS), resulting in a kangaroo pouch, that has a high prevalence in general populations (47%) and it is a potential site of blood stasis and thrombosis. After the novel coronavirus disease (COVID19) -related thrombotic complications, immunothrombosis has been widely investigated and proposed as key pathogenic mechanism linking coagulation and inflammation, leading sometimes to intracardiac thrombosis. In this paper we describe a case of thrombus in the ASP interestingly developed after COVID19 and made a literature review. Methods and Results: A 85 years old woman with a history of hypertension and chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) in therapy with dabigatran, was admitted to our hospital for dyspnea, atypical chest pain and fever. Laboratory exams showed only mild leukocytosis and elevated levels of d-dimer;EKG confirmed AF with a normal ventricular rate and CT scan excluded pulmonary embolism. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) (Figure 1) showed a mobile ovoid mass (13x26 mm) attached to a left-sided ASP mimicking a myxoma, no mass was seen in the left atrial appendage (LAA). Four months earlier she had been hospitalized for idiopathic thrombocytopenia and concurrent COVID19 infection with mild symptoms, therefore dabigatran was discontinued for a month. The patient underwent surgery and histopathology confirmed it was a thrombus. In the PubMed search we conducted for reports demonstrating ASP masses, or alleged thromboembolism (TE) from this site, we found 25 reports, whose characteristics are briefly summarized in Table 1. Interestingly mild thrombocytopenia was described just in one case. Conclusion(s): In addition to the LAA, the atrial septal pouch is a newly described, common anatomic entity of the interatrial septum, that potentially serves as a site of stasis and thrombus formation. Despite its high prevalence, the finding of a thrombus in this site is very rare. According to Virchow triad, we assume that in this case an endothelial injury and hypercoagulability could have played a pivotal role, since the concomitant thrombocytopenia and high levels of d-dimer. This could be the first case of a thrombus in the ASP associated with COVID19-immunothrombosis. (Table Presented).

Chilblain-like lesions (COVID-19 toes) have the same impact on family members than psoriasis systemically treated: insights from a case-control study targeting the pediatric population.

OBJECTIVE: COVID-19 toes represent the main dermatological COVID-19 cutaneous manifestation in pediatric patients. Its diagnosis exposes the whole family to social stigma and this aspect was not previously evaluated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a multicenter, case-control, observational study that compared the family impact of COVID-19 toes vs. psoriasis (PsO). We enrolled 46 pediatric patients (23 with psoriasis and 23 with COVID-19 toes, age and gender matched) and their parents/caregivers that had to fill the Dermatitis Family Impact (DFI) questionnaire. RESULTS: DFI index did not differ significantly between both subgroups (p=0.48), and in psoriatic patients did not correlate with both Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) (p=0.59) and itch-VAS (p=0.16). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 toes, a transitory dermatosis, exerted a similar impact/perturbation on family dynamics than PsO, a well-known stigmatizing, chronic inflammatory dermatosis.

Low testosterone levels and high estradiol to testosterone ratio are associated with hyperinflammatory state and mortality in hospitalized men with COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: Evidence supports a sex disparity in clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients, with men exhibiting higher mortality rates compared to women. We aimed to test the correlation between serum levels of sex hormones [total testosterone, estradiol (E2), estradiol to testosterone (E2/T) ratio, progesterone), prolactin and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and markers of inflammation, coagulation and sepsis at admission in hospitalized men with COVID-19. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted an exploratory retrospective study including symptomatic men with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection who were consecutively admitted to our Institution between April 1 and May 31, 2020. RESULTS: Patients were divided into survivors (n=20) and non-survivors (n=39). As compared to survivors, non-survivors showed significantly higher median neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) values, D-dimer and procalcitonin (PCT) levels, along with significantly lower median 25(OH)D levels and total testosterone levels. Non-survivors exhibited significantly higher median values of E2/T ratio (a marker of aromatase activity). Spearman's correlation analysis revealed that total testosterone levels were significantly and inversely correlated with NLR, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), interleukin-6, D-dimer and PCT. Conversely, E2/T ratio values were significantly and positively correlated with the aforementioned markers and with white blood cell (WBC) count. In a multivariate analysis performed by a logistic regression model after adjusting for major confounders (age, body mass index, hypertension and cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and malignancy), total testosterone levels were significantly and inversely associated with risk of COVID-19-related in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Low total testosterone levels and elevated E2/T ratio values at admission are associated with hyperinflammatory state in hospitalized men with COVID-19. Low total testosterone levels at admission represent an independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality in such patients. Therefore, total testosterone and E2/T ratio may serve as prognostic markers of disease severity in this population.