Management of dermatomyositis patients amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: Two case reports.
Medicine (Baltimore)
; 101(38): e30634, 2022 Sep 23.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2042657
ABSTRACT
RATIONALE In December 2019, a new epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) appeared in Wuhan, Hubei Province, and spread rapidly to other parts of China and worldwide. Although established methods exist for the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 infection, the management of dermatomyositis (DM) patients with COVID-19 is unknown. PATIENT CONCERNS In this article, we describe case reports of 2 patients with DM. The first case was a 67-year-old patient with DM and infected with COVID-19 who was admitted to Leishenshan Hospital for a 1-month history of fever, cough, and expectoration. The second case was a 51-year-old male patient who was admitted to Leishenshan Hospital due to fever with cough, expectoration and shortness of breath for 1 month. DIAGNOSES The first patient was diagnosed with COVID-19 secondary to DM based on repeated SARS-CoV-2 real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) test, detailed medical history and chest computed tomography; The second patient was diagnosed with interstitial lung disease associated with anti-MDA5 DM based on the results of antirheumatic and anti-inflammatory therapy and the above 3 methods. INTERVENTIONS AND OUTCOMES:
The first patient received supportive and empirical treatment, including antiviral treatment, anti-inflammatory treatment, oxygen therapy and prophylactic anticoagulation therapy. The symptoms and laboratory results got improved after the treatments. He was discharged with thrice negative PCR tests for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The second patient received a comprehensive treatment, including glucocorticoid and plasma exchange; his symptoms were relieved and improved. LESSONS These cases suggest that repeated new pathogenic test results for the coronavirus and a detailed diagnosis of the medical history are important means to distinguish these diseases. Increased attention to the individual characteristics of different cases may allow for more effective diagnosis and treatment.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Dermatomyositis
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Case report
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Aged
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
English
Journal:
Medicine (Baltimore)
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Md.0000000000030634
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