Bowel ischemia as onset of COVID-19 in otherwise asymptomatic patients with persistently negative swab.
J Intern Med
; 291(2): 224-231, 2022 02.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1373836
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Asymptomatic patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can develop hypercoagulable conditions and acute vascular events. The objective of this study is to determine whether SARS-CoV-2 was present in resected specimens from patients with acute bowel ischemia, but asymptomatic for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and with persistently real-time polymerase chain reaction negative pharyngeal swab.METHODS:
Three consecutive patients presented severe abdominal symptoms due to extensive ischemia and necrosis of the bowel, with co-existent thrombosis of abdominal blood vessels. None had the usual manifestations of COVID-19, and repeated pharyngeal swabs tested negative. They underwent emergency surgery with intestinal resection. Immunohistochemical testing for SARS-CoV-2 on resected tissue was performed.RESULTS:
All tested samples were strongly positive for SARS-CoV-2.CONCLUSIONS:
This is the first case report in which patients with severe intestinal symptoms presented a marked SARS-CoV-2 positivity in the resected tissues, without any usual clinical manifestations of COVID-19. These results suggest that the patients might be infected with SARS-CoV-2 presenting acute abdominal distress but without respiratory or constitutional symptoms.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
/
Intestine, Large
/
Ischemia
Type of study:
Case report
/
Diagnostic study
/
Prognostic study
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
J Intern Med
Journal subject:
Internal Medicine
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Joim.13385
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