ABSTRACT
We here report the first case of anti-proteinase 3-positive anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)-associated vasculitis following the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine presenting with prominent liver involvement and alveolar haemorrhage. Two weeks after vaccination, a 49-year-old man developed inflammatory arthralgias and hypertransaminasaemia. Two months later, fever and haemoptysis appeared; the patient tested positive for anti-proteinase 3 autoantibodies. High-dose steroids and rituximab were started, and complete remission was achieved. Systemic autoimmune diseases, including ANCA-associated vasculitis, should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of hypertransaminasaemia, especially when the clinical context is suspicious.
Subject(s)
Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis , COVID-19 , Male , Humans , Middle Aged , Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic , COVID-19 Vaccines/adverse effects , SARS-CoV-2 , COVID-19/diagnosis , COVID-19/prevention & control , Myeloblastin , Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis/diagnosis , Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis/etiology , Vaccination , LiverABSTRACT
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first identified as a novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province, central China, in December 2019, and is responsible for the 2019-to-present pandemic. According to the most recent data released by the World Health Organization, more than 200 million people have been infected by SARS-CoV-2 so far, and more than 4 million people died worldwide. Although our knowledge on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 is constantly growing, data on COVID-19 in immunocompromised patients are still limited. The aim of the present systematic review is to describe clinical picture, disease severity, proposed treatment regimen, and response to vaccination in patients with different types and severity of immunosuppression.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/immunology , COVID-19/physiopathology , Immunocompromised Host/immunology , SARS-CoV-2/immunology , SARS-CoV-2/pathogenicity , COVID-19/mortality , COVID-19/therapy , COVID-19 Vaccines/immunology , Humans , Immune Tolerance , Immunosuppression TherapyABSTRACT
COVID-19 is a complex and heterogeneous disease. The pathogenesis and the complications of the disease are not fully elucidated, and increasing evidence shows that SARS-CoV-2 causes a systemic inflammatory disease rather than a pulmonary disease. The management of hospitalized patients in COVID-19 dedicated units is advisable for segregation purpose as well as for infection control. In this article we present the standard operating procedures of our COVID-19 high dependency unit of the Policlinico Hospital, in Milan. Our high dependency unit is based on a multidisciplinary approach. We think that the multidisciplinary involvement of several figures can better identify treatable traits of COVID-19 disease, early identify patients who can quickly deteriorate, particularly patients with multiple comorbidities, and better manage complications related to off-label treatments. Although no generalizable to other hospitals and different healthcare settings, we think that our experience and our point of view can be helpful for countries and hospitals that are now starting to face the COVID-19 outbreak.