COVID-19 and COVID-like Patients: A Brief Analysis and Findings of Two Deceased Cases

Authors

  • Giosuè Mario Balzanelli Department of Pre-hospital and Emergency, SG Giuseppe Moscati Hospital, Taranto City, Italy
  • Pietro Distratis Department of Pre-hospital and Emergency, SG Giuseppe Moscati Hospital, Taranto City, Italy
  • Sergey K. Aityan Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, “Aldo Moro” University of Bari, School of Medicine D.I.M, Bari City, Italy
  • Felice Amatulli Department of Pre-hospital and Emergency, SG Giuseppe Moscati Hospital, Taranto City, Italy
  • Orazio Catucci Department of Pre-hospital and Emergency, SG Giuseppe Moscati Hospital, Taranto City, Italy
  • Angelo Cefalo Department of Pre-hospital and Emergency, SG Giuseppe Moscati Hospital, Taranto City, Italy
  • Gianna Dipalma Department of Multidisciplinary Research Centre, Lincoln University, Oakland, California, USA
  • Francesco Inchingolo Department of Multidisciplinary Research Centre, Lincoln University, Oakland, California, USA
  • Rita Lazzaro Department of Pre-hospital and Emergency, SG Giuseppe Moscati Hospital, Taranto City, Italy
  • Kieu C. D. Nguyen American Stem Cells Hospital and Human Stem cells Institute, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
  • Davide Palazzo Department of Pre-hospital and Emergency, SG Giuseppe Moscati Hospital, Taranto City, Italy
  • Van Pham Hung Phan Chau Trinh University of Medicine and Nam-Khoa Biotek, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
  • Diego Tomassone Nutritherapy Research Center, Urbino City, Italy
  • Toai Tran Cong Department of Histology, Embryology and Genetics, Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
  • Ciro Gargiulo Isacco Department of Pre-hospital and Emergency, SG Giuseppe Moscati Hospital, Taranto City, Italy; Department of Multidisciplinary Research Centre, Lincoln University, Oakland, California, USA; American Stem Cells Hospital and Human Stem cells Institute, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2020.5480

Keywords:

Coronavirus disease-19, Coronavirus disease-like, Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2, Thromboembolism, Hemorrhage, Computed tomography scan, Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, Complete blood count, X-ray

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The predominant pattern of lung lesions in patients affected by coronavirus disease (COVID-19) disease is diffuse alveolar damage with massive thromboembolism similar as described in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronaviruses. Hyaline membrane formation and pneumocyte atypical hyperplasia were frequent. Importantly, the formation of platelet–fibrin thrombi in small vessels was seen consistent with coagulopathy, which appeared to be a common feature in patients who died of COVID-19. However, many were the cases found with similar COVID-19 symptomatology though negative results from nasal-pharyngeal swab performed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). This latter typology of patients, otherwise named COVID-like, showed analogous clinical signs with similar arterial blood gas, cell blood count and laboratory parameters, and same computed tomography (CT)-scan ground-glass opacities. Symptoms such as cough, fever, and difficulty breathing were highly similar as well. Both forms, COVID-19 and COVID-like, are primarily respiratory with multi-organ involvement and both revealed comparable incubation periods often with a rapid onset and unexpected decay.

CASE REPORT: In this brief paper, we described two cases regarding two deceased males, one confirmed COVID-19 (RT-PCR but not CT scan) and the second a COVID-like (negative for RT-PCR but positive to CT scan with ground-glass opacity) whom condition, disease patterns, and analysis were highly similar.

CONCLUSION: Improved investigation is mandatory, in which RT-PCR and CT scan procedures are completed by data from more detailed laboratory analysis, ABG analysis, BALF, and a deeper clinical assessment.

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Published

2020-11-06

How to Cite

1.
Balzanelli GM, Distratis P, Aityan SK, Amatulli F, Catucci O, Cefalo A, Dipalma G, Inchingolo F, Lazzaro R, Nguyen KCD, Palazzo D, Hung VP, Tomassone D, Cong TT, Isacco CG. COVID-19 and COVID-like Patients: A Brief Analysis and Findings of Two Deceased Cases. Open Access Maced J Med Sci [Internet]. 2020 Nov. 6 [cited 2024 Mar. 29];8(T1):490-5. Available from: https://oamjms.eu/index.php/mjms/article/view/5480

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