Subject(s)
Abdominal Pain/etiology , Adrenal Gland Diseases/pathology , Castleman Disease/diagnosis , Edema/pathology , Fever/etiology , Abdominal Pain/diagnosis , Antibodies, Monoclonal/administration & dosage , Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use , Antineoplastic Agents/administration & dosage , Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use , Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal/administration & dosage , Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal/therapeutic use , Azetidines/administration & dosage , Azetidines/therapeutic use , Bone Marrow/metabolism , Bone Marrow/pathology , Bortezomib/administration & dosage , Bortezomib/therapeutic use , Castleman Disease/drug therapy , Castleman Disease/pathology , Cyclosporine/administration & dosage , Cyclosporine/therapeutic use , Dexamethasone/administration & dosage , Dexamethasone/therapeutic use , Drug Therapy, Combination , Fever/diagnosis , Humans , Immunosuppressive Agents/administration & dosage , Immunosuppressive Agents/therapeutic use , Janus Kinase Inhibitors/administration & dosage , Janus Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Male , Middle Aged , Purines/administration & dosage , Purines/therapeutic use , Pyrazoles/administration & dosage , Pyrazoles/therapeutic use , Renal Insufficiency/etiology , Reticulin , Sulfonamides/administration & dosage , Sulfonamides/therapeutic use , Thrombocytopenia/etiologyABSTRACT
Background: Establishing the diagnosis of COVID-19 and Pneumocystisjirovecii pulmonary coinfection is difficult due to clinical and radiological similarities that exist between the two disorders. For the moment, fungal coinfections are underestimated in COVID-19 patients. Case presentation: We report the case of a 52-year-old male patient, who presented to the emergency department for severe dyspnea and died 17 h later. The RT-PCR test performed at his admission was negative for SARS-CoV-2. Retesting of lung fragments collected during autopsy revealed a positive result for SARS-CoV-2. Histopathological examination showed preexisting lesions, due to comorbidities, as well as recent lesions: massive lung thromboses, alveolar exudate rich in foam cells, suprapleural and intra-alveolar Pneumocystisjirovecii cystic forms, and bilateral adrenal hemorrhage. Conclusion: COVID-19 and P.jirovecii coinfection should be considered, particularly in critically ill patients, and we recommend the systematic search for P. jirovecii in respiratory samples.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/pathology , Lung/pathology , Pneumonia, Pneumocystis/pathology , Respiratory Insufficiency/pathology , Thrombosis/pathology , Acute Kidney Injury/complications , Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure/complications , Adrenal Gland Diseases/complications , Adrenal Gland Diseases/pathology , Autopsy , COVID-19/complications , Coinfection/pathology , Exudates and Transudates , Fatal Outcome , Fibrosis , Foam Cells/pathology , Hemorrhage/complications , Hemorrhage/pathology , Humans , Hypertension/complications , Liver Diseases, Alcoholic/complications , Male , Middle Aged , Myocardial Ischemia/complications , Pneumonia, Pneumocystis/complications , Pulmonary Artery/pathology , Pulmonary Veins/pathology , Respiratory Insufficiency/etiology , SARS-CoV-2 , Thrombosis/etiologyABSTRACT
CONTEXT: Bilateral adrenal hemorrhage is a rare condition with potentially life-threatening consequences such as acute adrenal insufficiency. Early adrenal axis testing, as well as directed imaging, is crucial for immediate diagnosis and treatment. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been associated with coagulopathy and thromboembolic events. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 66-year-old woman presented with acute COVID-19 infection and primary adrenal insufficiency due to bilateral adrenal hemorrhage (BAH). She also had a renal vein thrombosis. Her past medical history revealed primary antiphospholipid syndrome (APLS). Four weeks after discharge she had no signs of COVID-19 infection and her polymerase chain reaction test for COVID-19 was negative, but she still needed glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid replacement therapy. The combination of APLS and COVID-19 was probably responsible of the adrenal event as a "two-hit" mechanism. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 infection is associated with coagulopathy and thromboembolic events, including BAH. Adrenal insufficiency is life threatening; therefore, we suggest that early adrenal axis testing for COVID-19 patients with clinical suspicion of adrenal insufficiency should be carried out.