Post-mortem differential diagnosis from COVID-19: A case of fulminant myocarditis HHV-6 related.
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SUBMITTER: Colombo D
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8661597 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundFulminant myocarditis is a catastrophic disease with high mortality and complications. A viral aetiology is frequent and the implication of SARS-CoV-2 is not yet known.Case summaryA 38-year-old woman who recently arrived from Spain presented with palpitations that started suddenly 3 days prior to presentation and were associated with haemodynamic instability, without dyspnoea or chest pain. We found features of myopericarditis on the electrocardiogram and severe systolic dysfunction on the echocardiogram. The chest tomography showed findings which suggested COVID-19 infection, and PCR for SARS-CoV-2 was positive. The cardiac magnetic resonance image showed Lake Louise criteria for myocarditis. The patient was treated with immunomodulatory, steroid, and immunoglobulin therapy, with a favourable clinical response.DiscussionThe importance of this case lies in highlighting the severe cardiac involvement in a young patient, without previous risk factors, positive for COVID-19, and the favourable response to the medical treatment given.
| S-EPMC7454494 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Various clinical presentations of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have been described, including post-infectious acute and fulminant myocarditis. Here, we describe the case of a young patient admitted for COVID-19-associated post-infectious fulminant myocarditis. Despite optimal pharmacologic management, haemodynamic status worsened requiring support by veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Emergent heart transplantation was required at Day 11 given the absence of cardiac function improvement. The diagnosis of post-infectious COVID-19-associated myocarditis was made from both pathologic examination of the explanted heart and positive SARS-CoV-2 serology.
| S-EPMC8239812 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been demonstrated to be the cause of pneumonia. Nevertheless, it has not been reported as the cause of acute myocarditis or fulminant myocarditis. CASE PRESENTATION:A 63-year-old male was admitted with pneumonia and cardiac symptoms. He was genetically confirmed as having COVID-19 according to sputum testing on the day of admission. He also had elevated troponin I (Trop I) level (up to 11.37 g/L) and diffuse myocardial dyskinesia along with a decreased left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) on echocardiography. The highest level of interleukin-6 was 272.40 pg/ml. Bedside chest radiographs showed typical ground-glass changes indicative of viral pneumonia. Laboratory test results for viruses that cause myocarditis were all negative. The patient conformed to the diagnostic criteria of the Chinese expert consensus statement for fulminant myocarditis. After receiving antiviral therapy and mechanical life support, Trop I was reduced to 0.10 g/L, and interleukin-6 was reduced to 7.63 pg/mL. Moreover, the LVEF of the patient gradually recovered to 68%. The patient died of aggravation of secondary infection on the 33rd day of hospitalization. CONCLUSION:COVID-19 patients may develop severe cardiac complications such as myocarditis and heart failure. This is the first report of COVID-19 complicated with fulminant myocarditis. The mechanism of cardiac pathology caused by COVID-19 needs further study.
| S-EPMC7146072 | biostudies-literature
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC4683890 | biostudies-literature
Project description:AimsTo investigate cardiac pathology in critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and identify associations between pathological changes and clinical characteristics.MethodsThe present autopsy cohort study included hearts from 26 deceased patients hospitalized in intensive care units due to COVID-19, and was conducted at four sites in Wuhan, China. Cases were divided into a neutrophil infiltration group and a no-neutrophil group based on the presence or absence of histopathologically identified neutrophilic infiltrates.ResultsAmong the 26 patients, histopathological examination identified active myocarditis in four patients. All patients with myocarditis exhibited extensive accompanying neutrophil infiltration, and all patients without myocarditis did not. The neutrophil infiltration group exhibited significantly higher rates of detection of interleukin-6 (100 vs. 4.6%) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (100 vs. 31.8%) than the no-neutrophil group (both p < 0.05). On admission, four patients with neutrophil infiltration in myocardium had significantly higher baseline levels of aspartate aminotransferase, D dimer, and high-sensitivity C reactive protein than the other 22 patients (all p < 0.05). During hospitalization, patients with neutrophil infiltration had significantly higher maximum creatine kinase-MB (median 280.0 IU/L vs. 38.7 IU/L, p = 0.04) and higher troponin I (median 1.112 ng/ml vs. 0.220 ng/ml, p = 0.56) than patients without neutrophil infiltration.ConclusionActive myocarditis was frequently associated with neutrophil infiltration in the hearts of deceased patients with severe COVID-19. Patients with neutrophil-infiltrated myocarditis had a series of severely abnormal laboratory test results on admission, and high maximum creatine kinase-MB during hospitalization. The role of neutrophils in severe heart injury and systemic conditions in patients with COVID-19 should be emphasized.
| S-EPMC9614157 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We review the microbiological aspects of COVID-19 infection and present the microbiological studies that should be performed in forensic cases. We describe the taxonomic characteristics of the virus, its relationship with the coronaviridae family and its genetic structure. We briefly present the clinical and pathological characteristics of COVID-19 infection, as well as the co-infections that could be associated with this virus. In the laboratory, PCR is a first-choice technique in the acute phase of the infection, together with antigen and serological studies. Finally, we describe the main objectives of microbiological studies in the deceased in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the main post-mortem microbiological analysis to be carried out in the medico-legal context. The microbiological analysis should aim to detect both SARS-CoV-2 and coinfections, which may also contribute to the cause of death.
| S-EPMC7362836 | biostudies-literature
Project description:A 49-year-old man, who had not been vaccinated against COVID-19 visited the hospital for fever and cough, and a PCR test for COVID-19 was positive on the Day X. Initially, there was no decrease in oxygen saturation and the patient was under observation as a mild case without medication. Five days after the onset (Day X + 5), chest pain appeared. Electrocardiogram showed widespread ST-segment elevation, and blood tests showed high levels of troponin I. However, given that there was no stenotic lesion on coronary computed tomography, myocarditis was suspected, and he was transferred to our hospital on the Day X + 6. We started treatment with lemdesivir and dexamethasone. On the Day X + 7, the patient developed decreased left ventricular ejection fraction, hypotension, and hyperlactatemia. We decided that mechanical circulatory support was necessary and an Impella 5.0 was inserted under ventilator management. The patient was successfully weaned from the Impella 5.0 on the Day X + 17, was transferred to the general ward on the Day X + 24, continued rehabilitation, and was discharged home on the Day X + 39 with no heart failure symptoms. In this case, we performed daily bedside echocardiography and chose the Impella 5.0 instead of extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) because there were no findings of severe pneumonia or right heart failure. The Impella 5.0 device was inserted via an axillary artery approach, given that it provides more assisted flow than the Impella CP inserted through the inguinal route. Furthermore, early rehabilitation was possible due to the lack of restriction of the lower body.
| S-EPMC9440337 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Fulminant myocarditis (FM) is a severe disease with a rapidly progressive and life-threatening course caused mainly by viral infection. The symptoms, laboratory findings, and presence of ECG changes resemble acute coronary syndrome. Therefore, coronary angiography is usually helpful in making the appropriate diagnosis. However, failure to obtain complete coronary artery images due to coronary artery anatomic variations poses a challenge for the diagnosis of FM. Here, we report a case of FM preliminarily diagnosed as acute coronary syndrome (ACS) due to the presence of coronary artery anomaly.
| S-EPMC8669105 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAdults who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 can develop a multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-A), including fulminant myocarditis. Yet, several patients fail to meet MIS-A criteria, suggesting the existence of distinct phenotypes in fulminant COVID-19-related myocarditis.ObjectivesThis study sought to compare the characteristics and clinical outcome between patients with fulminant COVID-19-related myocarditis fulfilling MIS-A criteria (MIS-A+) or not (MIS-A-).MethodsA monocentric retrospective analysis of consecutive fulminant COVID-19-related myocarditis in a 26-bed intensive care unit (ICU).ResultsBetween March 2020 and June 2021, 38 patients required ICU admission (male 66%; mean age 32 ± 15 years) for suspected fulminant COVID-19-related myocarditis. In-ICU treatment for organ failure included dobutamine 79%, norepinephrine 60%, mechanical ventilation 50%, venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation 42%, and renal replacement therapy 29%. In-hospital mortality was 13%. Twenty-five patients (66%) met the MIS-A criteria. MIS-A- patients compared with MIS-A+ patients were characterized by a shorter delay between COVID-19 symptoms onset and myocarditis, a lower left ventricular ejection fraction, and a higher rate of in-ICU organ failure, and were more likely to require mechanical circulatory support with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (92% vs 16%; P < 0.0001). In-hospital mortality was higher in MIS-A- patients (31% vs 4%). MIS-A+ had higher circulating levels of interleukin (IL)-22, IL-17, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), whereas MIS-A- had higher interferon-α2 (IFN-α2) and IL-8 levels. RNA polymerase III autoantibodies were present in 7 of 13 MIS-A- patients (54%) but in none of the MIS-A+ patients.ConclusionMIS-A+ and MIS-A- fulminant COVID-19-related myocarditis patients have 2 distinct phenotypes with different clinical presentations, prognosis, and immunological profiles. Differentiating these 2 phenotypes is relevant for patients' management and further understanding of their pathophysiology.
| S-EPMC9291241 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spreading from Wuhan, Hubei province in China, is an expanding global pandemic with significant morbidity and mortality. Even though respiratory failure is the cardinal form of severe COVID-19, concomitant cardiac involvement is common. Myocarditis is a challenging diagnosis due to heterogeneity of clinical presentation, ranging from mild symptoms to fatal arrhythmia and cardiogenic shock (CS). The aetiology is often viral and endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is the gold standard for definite myocarditis. However, the diagnosis is often made on medical history, clinical presentation, magnetic resonance imaging, and blood tests.Case summaryWe present a 43-year-old man with mixed connective tissue disease treated with hydroxychloroquine who rapidly developed CS 4 days from symptom onset with fever and cough, showing positive polymerase chain reaction nasopharyngeal swab for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA. While computed tomography of the thorax was normal, high-sensitivity troponin T was elevated and electrocardiogram showed diffuse ST elevation and low voltage as signs of myocardial oedema. Echocardiography showed severe depression of left ventricular function. The myocardium recovered completely after a week with mechanical circulatory support (MCS). EMB was performed but could neither identify the virus in the cardiomyocytes, nor signs of inflammation. Still the most probable aetiology of CS in this case is myocarditis as a sole symptom of COVID-19.DiscussionCOVID-19 patients in need of hospitalization present commonly with respiratory manifestations. We present the first case of fulminant myocarditis rapidly progressing to CS in a COVID-19 patient without respiratory failure, successfully treated with inotropes and MCS.
| S-EPMC7799209 | biostudies-literature