Journal of investigative medicine high impact case reports
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J Investig Med High Impact Case Rep · Jan 2020
Case ReportsCOVID-19 and Acute Lupus Pneumonitis: Diagnostic and Treatment Dilemma.
In this article, we present a case of a young female patient with previously diagnosed lupus pneumonitis, now with a flare and new superimposed COVID-19 infection that was treated with intravenous steroids. On computed tomography scans, she had extensive interstitial lung fibrosis in addition to a positive COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test requiring 6 L of oxygen via nasal cannula on admission. After administration of methylprednisolone, the patient improved and was weaned off her oxygen requirements and was discharged home.
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J Investig Med High Impact Case Rep · Jan 2020
Case ReportsHabit Mimics the Illness: EVALI During the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Globally, health care providers have been challenged to provide adequate care during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Due to the ever changing and rapidly evolving nature of the novel coronavirus, there is increased public anxiety and knowledge gaps that have created major dilemmas in health care delivery. In this environment, there is tremendous pressure on clinicians to diagnose each and every case of COVID-19. ⋯ It is unknown if vaping puts patients at higher risk of respiratory failure if coinfected with COVID-19. Therefore, exposure history in patients presenting with pneumonia-like syndrome is important. Physicians should be aware of the overlap between these conditions and should pay particular attention during history taking to distinguish EVALI from COVID-19 pneumonia.
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J Investig Med High Impact Case Rep · Jan 2020
Case ReportsUremia Preventing Osmotic Demyelination Syndrome Despite Rapid Hyponatremia Correction.
Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte abnormality encountered both in the inpatient and outpatient clinical settings in the United States. Rapid correction leads to a deranged cerebral osmotic gradient causing osmotic demyelination syndrome. Coexisting azotemia is considered to be protective against osmotic demyelination syndrome owing to its counteractive effect on osmolarity change that occurs with rapid hyponatremia correction. ⋯ Given refractory hyperkalemia with electrocardiogram changes, emergent dialysis was performed. Despite our efforts to avoid rapid correction, serum sodium was corrected to 124 mEq/L and blood urea nitrogen decreased to 87 mg/dL at the end of the 5-hour dialysis session. Fortunately, hospital course and 4-week post-discharge clinic follow-ups were uncomplicated with no neurological sequela confirmed by neurological examination and magnetic resonance imaging.
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J Investig Med High Impact Case Rep · Jan 2020
Case ReportsA Case of Guillain-Barré Syndrome Associated With COVID-19.
A novel member of human RNA coronavirus, which is an enveloped betacoronavirus, has been termed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS COV-2). The illness caused by SARS COV-2 is referred to as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It is a highly contagious disease that has resulted in a global pandemic. ⋯ He received five plasma exchange treatments and was successfully weaned from mechanical ventilation. A brain and cervical spine magnetic resonance imaging was obtained to rule out other causes, which was normal. COVID-19 is believed to cause a dysregulated immune system, which likely plays an important role in the neuropathogenesis of GBS.
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J Investig Med High Impact Case Rep · Jan 2020
Comment LetterReply to Comment on "An Unusual Case of Acquired Angioedema and Monoclonal Gammopathy of Renal Significance in a Middle-Aged Caucasian Female".
We sincerely thank Dr Andrew Whyte, who keenly reviewed our case report and came up with critical reasoning to justify his thoughts and critique with regard to our published article, "An Unusual Case of Acquired Angioedema and Monoclonal Gammopathy of Renal Significance in a Middle-Aged Caucasian Female." We agree with the author that hypocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis can be a reasonable contender as a diagnosis in this case. There are indeed some features in this case that do not entirely fit either classic presentation of acquired angioedema or hypocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis. Both diseases being equally rare, we tried to focus on the association of proliferative glomerulonephritis with angioedema-like features in this patient and considered acquired angioedema as the unifying diagnosis.