Table 2.
Clinical characteristics of selected adult autopsies with suggestive COVID-19 disease history and histology
| No. | Date of death | Gender | Age, years | BMI | Symptoms at presentation | Comorbidities | Presumptive COVID-19 predisposing factors | Cause of death at autopsy | Likely etiology of pneumopathy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13.03.2019 | M | 85 | 28.4 | Dyspnea, fever | Diabetes, dyslipidemia, gout, hypothyreosis, chronic kidney failure | Atherosclerosis, hypertension, coronary heart disease, smoker, peripheral arterial disease | DAD | Infectious (E. faecalis, C. albicans in sputum) |
| 2 | 19.06.2019 | F | 48 | 18.3 | Dyspnea | Collagenosis overlap syndrome (scleroderma and Sjögren), PAH, bosentan hepatopathy, cardiomegaly, focal pulmonary AL amyloidosis | Atherosclerosis | Right heart failure due to cor pulmonale | Rheumatological |
| 3 | 02.07.2019 | F | 71 | 28.8 | Dyspnea, acute kidney failure | Metastatic liposarcoma, atherosclerosis, atrial fibrillation | Coronary artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, COPD, hypertension | Bronchopneumonia | Infectious (Klebsiella spp. and S. aureus in BAL) |
| 4 | 20.10.2019 | M | 81 | 41.2 | Hemoptysis | Colon carcinoma, senile amyloidosis | Atherosclerosis, ATTR amyloidosis, obesity, COPD | Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage | Unclear (likely infectious or due to decompensated PAH) |
| 5 | 03.12.2019 | M | 70 | 26.0 | Chronic non-productive cough, flu-like symptoms | Interstitial pneumonitis (methotrexate/leflunomide), seronegative polyarthritis | Valvular/rhythmogenic cardiopathy | Bronchopneumonia | Infectious |
| 6 | 08.12.2019 | M | 78 | 41.5 | Syncope, dyspnea, tachypnea | Diabetes, colitis ulcerosa, dyslipidemia | Atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, obesity, COPD, hypertension, smoker | Pulmonary embolisms | Unclear, likely multifactorial (obesity, immobility) |
| 7 | 18.12.2019 | M | 87 | 26.0 | Hyperactive delirium, tracheobronchitis | Dementia, prostate carcinoma, fracture of cervical spine, dyslipidemia | Atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, hypertension | Bronchopneumonia | Infectious |
| 8 | 19.01.2020 | M | 61 | 27.2 | Respiratory failure S.p. pneumectomy | Lung adenocarcinoma, diabetes mellitus II | Atherosclerosis | DAD | Unclear (post-op, ALI, drug induced or infectious) |
| 9 | 19.01.2020 | M | 50 | 22.3 | Post-op dizziness and dyspnea; acute disseminated hypercoagulability | Seminoma, internal Treitz hernia | Atherosclerosis | Pulmonary embolisms due to unclear coagulopathy | Unclear (post-op, paraneoplastic, genetic − increased factor VIII) |
| 10 | 20.01.2020 | M | 64 | 22.5 | Dyspnea, dry cough | S.p. allogeneic stem cell transplantation, MDS, secondary AML, atrial fibrillation, S.p. lobectomy due to aspergillosis | Eccentric myocardial hypertrophy | DAD | Drug induced (cytarabine) |
| 11 | 17.02.2020 | F | 70 | 18.8 | Tiredness and dyspnea | Abdominal aortic aneurysm | Atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, COPD | Necrotizing pneumonia | Infectious (Pseudomonas spp. and Candida spp. in sputum) |
ALI, acute lung injury; AML, acute myeloid leukemia; BAL, bronchoalveolar lavage; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; DAD, diffuse alveolar damage; MDS, myelodysplastic syndrome; PAH, pulmonal arterial hypertension; post-op, postoperative; S.p., status post.