ABSTRACT
Outcomes vary widely in patients with COVID-19. Whereas some patients have only mild symptoms of short duration, others develop severe disease that leads to acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring prolonged stays in intensive care units. Radiologically, the initial stage is characterized by viral pneumonia with mild expression. In some patients, however, the onset of the immune response results in acute lung damage with organizing pneumonia and diffuse alveolar damage. Moderate-severe disease is associated with a high incidence of pulmonary embolisms, generally peripherally distributed and associated with endothelial damage, prolonged stays in bed, and coagulopathy. Other relatively common complications are spontaneous pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum due to the rupture of alveolar walls and barotrauma in mechanically ventilated patients. Superinfection, generally bacterial and less commonly fungal, is more common in patients with severe disease. Resumen Los pacientes con COVID-19 presentan una evolución muy variable: desde enfermos con síntomas leves de corta duración a pacientes con enfermedad grave que desarrollan un síndrome de distrés respiratorio agudo, con ingresos prolongados en unidades de críticos. Desde el punto de vista radiológico, la etapa inicial se caracteriza por una neumonía viral poco expresiva. No obstante, en algunos pacientes, con el inicio de la respuesta inmunitaria se produce un daño pulmonar agudo con patrones radiológicos de neumonía organizada y daño alveolar difuso. La enfermedad moderada-grave se asocia con una incidencia alta de tromboembolismo pulmonar, generalmente de distribución periférica y asociado al daño endotelial, encamamiento prolongado y coagulopatía de la enfermedad. Otras complicaciones relativamente frecuentes son: el neumotórax y el neumomediastino espontáneos por rotura de paredes alveolares, y el barotrauma en pacientes con ventilación mecánica. La sobreinfección es más frecuente en pacientes graves, generalmente de origen bacteriano y menos frecuente fúngico.
ABSTRACT
Outcomes vary widely in patients with COVID-19. Whereas some patients have only mild symptoms of short duration, others develop severe disease that leads to acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring prolonged stays in intensive care units. Radiologically, the initial stage is characterized by viral pneumonia with mild expression. In some patients, however, the onset of the immune response results in acute lung damage with organizing pneumonia and diffuse alveolar damage. Moderate-severe disease is associated with a high incidence of pulmonary embolisms, generally peripherally distributed and associated with endothelial damage, prolonged stays in bed, and coagulopathy. Other relatively common complications are spontaneous pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum due to the rupture of alveolar walls and barotrauma in mechanically ventilated patients. Superinfection, generally bacterial and less commonly fungal, is more common in patients with severe disease.