ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: It has been proposed that pregnant women and their fetuses may be particularly at risk for poor outcomes due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. From the few case series that are available in the literature, women with high risk pregnancies have been associated with higher morbidity. It has been suggested that pregnancy induced immune responses and cardio-vascular changes can exaggerate the course of the COVID-19 infection. CASE PRESENTATION: A 26-year old Somalian woman (G2P1) presented with a nine-day history of shortness of breath, dry cough, myalgia, nausea, abdominal pain and fever. A nasopharyngeal swab returned positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Her condition rapidly worsened leading to severe liver and coagulation impairment. An emergency Caesarean section was performed at gestational week 32 + 6 after which the patient made a rapid recovery. Severe COVID-19 promptly improved by the termination of the pregnancy or atypical HELLP (Hemolysis, Elevated Liver Enzymes and Low Platelet Count) exacerbated by concomitant COVID-19 infection could not be ruled out. There was no evidence of vertical transmission. CONCLUSIONS: This case adds to the growing body of evidence which raises concerns about the possible negative maternal outcomes of COVID-19 infection during pregnancy and advocates for pregnant women to be recognized as a vulnerable group during the current pandemic.
Subject(s)
Blood Coagulation Disorders/blood , Cesarean Section , Coronavirus Infections/blood , Liver Diseases/blood , Obesity, Maternal , Pneumonia, Viral/blood , Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/blood , Adult , Antithrombin III/metabolism , Apgar Score , Betacoronavirus , Blood Coagulation Disorders/etiology , COVID-19 , Coronavirus Infections/complications , Coronavirus Infections/diagnostic imaging , Coronavirus Infections/physiopathology , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products/metabolism , HELLP Syndrome/diagnosis , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Infant, Premature , L-Lactate Dehydrogenase/blood , Liver Diseases/etiology , Lung/diagnostic imaging , Male , Pandemics , Partial Thromboplastin Time , Platelet Count , Pneumonia, Viral/complications , Pneumonia, Viral/diagnostic imaging , Pneumonia, Viral/physiopathology , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/physiopathology , SARS-CoV-2 , Sweden , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
The new outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a serious global public health concern. A more in-depth study of blood coagulation abnormality is needed. We retrospectively analyzed 147 consecutive patients with COVID-19 who were admitted to three ICUs in Wuhan from February 9th, 2020 to March 20th, 2020. The baseline coagulation and other characteristics were studied. Our results showed that the prolonged PT, FDP, DD were positively correlated with the levels of neutrophils, ferritin, LDH, total bilirubin, multi-inflammation cytokines, and negatively correlated with the lymphocytes level (p < 0.01). The level of ATIII was significantly negatively correlated with the levels of neutrophils, ferritin, LDH, total bilirubin, IL2R, IL6 and IL8 (p < 0.05). The patients in the ARDS group had a more prominent abnormality in PT, FDP, DD and ATIII, while the patients in the AKI group had more prolonged PT, more severe FDP and DD level, more inferior ATIII and Fib level than those in the non-AKI group (p < 0.01). The value of PT, DD and FDP were positively correlated with the classical APACHE II, SOFA and qSOFA scores, while the ATIII was negatively correlated with them (p < 0.001). The high levels of PT, FDP and DD were correlated with in-hospital mortality (p < 0.001). In conclusion, blood coagulation disorder was prominent in ICU patients with COVID-19 and was correlated with multi-inflammation factors. The abnormality of blood coagulation parameters could be an adverse prognostic indicator for ICU patients with COVID-19.
Subject(s)
Betacoronavirus/pathogenicity , Blood Coagulation Disorders/virology , Blood Coagulation , Coronavirus Infections/therapy , Inflammation Mediators/blood , Inflammation/virology , Intensive Care Units , Pneumonia, Viral/therapy , Aged , Antithrombin III/metabolism , Biomarkers/blood , Blood Coagulation Disorders/blood , Blood Coagulation Disorders/diagnosis , Blood Coagulation Disorders/mortality , COVID-19 , Coronavirus Infections/diagnosis , Coronavirus Infections/mortality , Coronavirus Infections/virology , Female , Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products/metabolism , Hospital Mortality , Host-Pathogen Interactions , Humans , Inflammation/blood , Inflammation/diagnosis , Inflammation/mortality , Male , Middle Aged , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral/diagnosis , Pneumonia, Viral/mortality , Pneumonia, Viral/virology , Prognosis , Retrospective Studies , Risk Factors , SARS-CoV-2 , Time FactorsABSTRACT
As the current coronavirus pandemic continues and cases of COVID-19 critical illness rise, physicians and scientists across the globe are working to understand and study its pathophysiology. Part of the pathology of this illness may result from its prothrombotic potential as witnessed from derangements in coagulation and thrombotic complications reported in observational studies performed in China and Europe to findings of microthrombosis upon autopsy analysis of patients who succumbed to COVID-19. Multiple organizations, including the American Society of Hematology (ASH), recommend the routine use of prophylactic heparin to temper the thrombotic complications of this illness given its mortality benefit in severe COVID-19 infections. Reductions in circulating levels of Antithrombin III (AT), the primary mediator of heparin's action, is present in cases of coronavirus related critical illness. AT's use as a prognostic marker, an important effector of heparin resistance, and a potential therapeutic target for COVID-19 remains to be explored.