BMJ Case Rep . An interesting case of small vessel pathology following coronavirus infection

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BMJ Case Rep


. 2020 Sep 7;13(9):e237407.
doi: 10.1136/bcr-2020-237407.
An interesting case of small vessel pathology following coronavirus infection


Shadi M Ramadan ¹ , Eirini V Kasfiki ² , Ciaran Wp Kelly ³ , Irshad Ali ²



Affiliations

• PMID: 32900749
• DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2020-237407

Abstract

Vasculitis is a descriptive term for a wide variety of conditions characterised by inflammation of the blood vessels that may occur as a primary process or secondary to an underlying disease. Occlusive vasculopathy is a different clinical entity characterised by skin changes and ulceration of the lower extremities because of thrombosis of the small vessels of the dermis and is usually associated with pre-thrombotic conditions. Both conditions can be confirmed or excluded by skin biopsy. We report the case of a 63-year-old woman presenting with upper and lower respiratory tract symptoms followed by a vasculitic rash on both legs. The patient underwent extensive radiological and laboratory investigations that were negative apart from positive coronavirus OC43. A biopsy of the skin was performed. Considering the clinical presentation and the investigations performed, the diagnosis of small vessel vasculopathy following coronavirus OC43 has been suggested by the authors.

Keywords: infectious diseases; vasculitis.