El impacto de la pandemia de COVID-19 en los nuevos casos de tuberculosis en pacientes hospitalizados / The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on New Active Tuberculosis in Hospitalized Patients

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the global fight against Tuberculosis, although its impact is not fully known. We aimed to analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis and hospital care of tuberculosis patients. Material and Method: We conducted a retrospective study in a Portuguese 804-bed hospital between March 2019 and March 2021. We compared the number of new diagnoses of active Tuberculosis in hospitalized patients in the 12-month period before (group A) and after (group B) the surge of COVID-19 in Portugal (March 2020), as well as patients’ clinical characteristics. Results: There were a total of 24.675 hospital admissions, of which 158 were due to new active tuberculosis. There were 60 new diagnoses of active tuberculosis in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (group B), compared to 98 in the previous year (group A) (0.5% vs. 0.8%, respectively, p=0.004). Gender distribution, age, symptoms at presentation and affected organs were similar in both groups. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant median 3-day delay in diagnosis after hospital admission (p=0.047) and a total of 18% of tuberculosis cases were co-infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the first month of antituberculosis therapy. Conclusion: During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitalised patients were 37% less likely to have a diagnosis of new active TB, compared to the previous year. Our study highlights the concern about underdiagnosis and diagnostic delay of active TB during the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for studies and policies addressing this matter. (AU)

Objetivos: Analizar el impacto de la pandemia de COVID-19 en el diagnóstico y la atención hospitalaria de los pacientes con tuberculosis. Método: Estudio retrospectivo en un hospital portugués de 804 camas entre marzo de 2019 y marzo de 2021. Comparamos el número de nuevos diagnósticos de tuberculosis activa en pacientes hospitalizados en el período de 12 meses antes y después el repunte de la COVID-19 en Portugal (marzo 2020), así como las características clínicas de los pacientes. Resultados: Se incluyeron 24.675 ingresos hospitalarios, de los cuales 158 fueron por tuberculosis activa nueva. Se observó 60 nuevos diagnósticos de tuberculosis activa en el primer año de la pandemia COVID-19 (grupo B), frente a los 98 del año anterior (grupo A) (p=0,004). La distribución por género, edad, presentación y órganos afectados fueron similares. Durante la pandemia de COVID-19, hubo una mediana de retraso significativo de 3 días en el diagnóstico después del ingreso hospitalario (p=0,047) y un total del 18 % de los casos de tuberculosis se infectaron con SARS-CoV-2 en el primer mes de terapia antituberculosa. Conclusión: Durante el primer año de la pandemia COVID-19, los pacientes hospitalizados tuvieron 37% menos de probabilidad de tener un diagnóstico nuevo de TB. Nuestro estudio destaca la preocupación por el infradiagnóstico y el retraso en el diagnóstico de la TB activa durante la pandemia COVID-19 y la necesidad de estudios y políticas que aborden este tema. (AU)

Paraneoplastic Aquagenic Pruritus: A Case of Pancreatic Cancer.

Paraneoplastic pruritus has been reported mostly in association with haematological malignancies, and rarely with solid tumours. Aquagenic pruritus is itching without any skin lesion that develops a few minutes after contact with water of any temperature and it is associated with polycythaemia vera or other lymphoproliferative diseases. Here we report a case of a previously healthy 78-year-old Portuguese woman, who had been treated unsuccessfully for aquagenic pruritus for the previous eight months, and presented to the emergency department complaining of pain and swelling in her left leg. Deep vein thrombosis was diagnosed and oral anticoagulation was initiated. Blood tests revealed a normal blood count and normal liver enzymes, except for alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase levels, which were slightly elevated. Hypercobalaminaemia and folic acid deficiency were also noted. JAK2 V617F/12 exon mutation was not present. Thoracic, abdominal and pelvic computed tomography revealed a locally advanced pancreatic tumour. Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology of the lesion revealed a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of pancreatic ductal origin. Tumour marker assays showed elevation of both carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9). Aquagenic pruritus should be thoroughly investigated to exclude a neoplastic disease, especially if treatment is refractory or if another paraneoplastic syndrome is present. Although aquagenic pruritus is more commonly associated with haematological malignancies than solid tumours, a rare case of aquagenic pruritus is described here as a paraneoplastic syndrome of pancreatic cancer. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of pancreatic cancer that presented with aquagenic pruritus and dual paraneoplastic syndromes.

Male Breast Metastasis: A Case of Treatment-Emergent Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer.

Treatment-emergent transformed neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) is a highly aggressive type of prostate cancer that may arise from typical adenocarcinoma of the prostate, which is associated with rapidly progressive disease involving visceral sites and refractoriness to hormonal therapy. We present the case of a 74-year old male with a known history of stable prostate adenocarcinoma treated with transurethral prostate resection, local radiotherapy (RT), and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in 2020 who presented to the emergency room with complaints of shoulder and anterior chest pain, dyspnoea, and fatigue. Upon examination, a solid, adherent breast mass and infra-clavicular adenopathy were palpable. Thoracic computed tomography (CT) scan showed adenopathies in multiple thoracic chains, bilateral pulmonary nodular opacities, multiple osteolytic lesions, and bilateral enlargement of retro areolar tissue. A staging CT scan revealed further hepatic and penile lesions. Breast mass biopsy was compatible with small cell neuroendocrine cancer. Biopsies of the prostate, penis, lymph nodes, and bronchus were also performed. Histology of the prostate showed focal infiltration by the known adenocarcinoma while all others documented extensive infiltration by neuroendocrine carcinoma, whose morphology and immunohistochemical profile were identical to that of the breast. This case highlights the challenges a diagnosis of neuroendocrine prostate cancer might pose, and the aggressiveness of this type of cancer, which frequently presents with advanced disease and is associated with poor outcomes.

Fungal Endocarditis: A Case Report.

Fungal endocarditis is a rare disease, and it is associated with severe complications and poor prognosis despite combined clinical and surgical treatment. Although Candida albicans (C. albicans) is the most common etiological agent of this severe form of endocarditis, Candida parapsilosis (C. parapsilosis) is the most common non-albicans causative species. It occurs mostly in patients with predisposing risk factors, and the rarity of this disease demands a high index of suspicion; the diagnosis must be vigilantly pursued by echocardiography and multiple blood cultures. The past few decades have witnessed a rise in the incidence of this disease, mainly due to improvements in the diagnostic approach. We report the case of a 63-year-old man with no previous medical history of cardiac disease and no risk factors who was diagnosed with fungal endocarditis due to C. parapsilosis without fungemia. This report illustrates a rare case of fungal endocarditis in a patient with no risk factors and highlights the challenges encountered in the diagnosis, along with complications and predictors of poor prognosis.

When a Late Metastasis Is Hard to Swallow.

Pseudoachalasia is an uncommon disorder characterised by aperistalsis in the tubular oesophagus and impaired relaxation of the lower oesophageal sphincter (LES). It presents with symptoms and radiologic, endoscopic and manometric findings that mimic idiopathic achalasia. There is a huge spectrum of underlying causes for pseudoachalasia, although malignancy is the most common aetiology. We report the case of a 70-year-old Portuguese female with a history of breast cancer, submitted to tumourectomy, radiotherapy and hormonotherapy, in complete remission for 16 years, who presented in the emergency department with a two-month history of dysphagia, weight loss, heartburn and nausea. Blood work, body computed tomography (CT) scan, mammography, upper endoscopy, colonoscopy and skeletal scintigraphy did not show any alterations, but barium swallow scan and oesophageal manometry suggested achalasia. She was submitted to oesophageal dilatation with partial symptomatic improvement. Six months later, new onset of dysphonia and worsening of initial symptoms was noticed. A new CT scan revealed unilateral pleural effusion, large mediastinal adenopathy and multiple pulmonary nodules highly suggestive of a metastatic malignancy. Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) from mediastinal adenopathies confirmed the tumoural invasion by a carcinoma, and immunohistochemistry suggested a breast origin. She underwent a nasoendoscopy that revealed bilateral vocal cord paralysis. After chemotherapy was started, symptoms of achalasia completely resolved, and tumour markers, which were increased, have normalised. The presented case highlights a pseudoachalasia as the first manifestation of a late breast metastasis. It is essential to always have in mind patients' past history as a key that can help resolve clinical doubts.