A Moderate Case of COVID-19 Viral Pneumonia During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

A 44-year-old Bavarian woman with allergic asthma consulted a community medical practice at the end of February 2020 with a febrile airway infection and breathing difficulties after visiting a carnival-related event. She was first assumed to have seasonal influenza and treated symptomatically with antipyretics, and on day 4 empirical antimicrobial treatment was initiated on the assumption of community-acquired pneumonia. Six days after the onset of her symptoms, nucleic acid amplification of material from a nasopharyngeal swab demonstrated the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. At the time of hospital admission on day 7, the patient had marked dyspnea at rest (respiration rate: 30 breaths per minute; oxygen saturation: 90% in ambient air) and a chest radiograph showed atypical infiltration of both lungs (Figure 1A). Thoracic computed tomography revealed peripheral ground-glass opacities in both lungs, compatible with COVID-19 pneumonia (Figure 1B). After the occurrence of COVID-19-associated hepatitis on day 12, the clinical and laboratory findings gradually improved with antipyretic and antimicrobial treatment of a bacterial superinfection.

Figure.

a) Axial reconstruction of thoracic computed tomography showing bilateral ground-glass infiltrates (with distinct respiratory artefacts in this moderately ill patient with pronounced dyspnea at rest)

b) Thoracic computed tomography showing peripheral ground-glass infiltrates in both lungs, compatible with COVID-19 pneumonia

Translated from the original German by David Roseveare.

Cite this as: Spinner CD, Schuldt A, Schuster J: A moderate case of COVID-19 viral pneumonia during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.