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J Med Case Rep
. 2020 Dec 18;14(1):246.
doi: 10.1186/s13256-020-02595-3.
Late-onset myocardial infarction and autoimmune haemolytic anaemia in a COVID-19 patient without respiratory symptoms, concomitant with a paradoxical increase in inflammatory markers: a case report
Maria Chiara Pelle 1 , Bruno Tassone 2 , Marco Ricchio 2 , Maria Mazzitelli 2 , Chiara Davoli 2 , Giada Procopio 2 , Anna Cancelliere 2 , Valentina La Gamba 2 , Elena Lio 2 , Giovanni Matera 3 , Angela Quirino 3 , Giorgio Settimo Barreca 4 , Enrico Maria Trecarichi 2 , Carlo Torti 2 , IDTM UMG COVID-19 Group
Collaborators, Affiliations
- PMID: 33339534
- PMCID: PMC7746982
- DOI: 10.1186/s13256-020-02595-3
Abstract
Background: In December 2019, a new coronavirus (named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, SARS-CoV-2) spread from China, causing a pandemic in a very short time. The main clinical presentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19, coronavirus disease-2019) is pneumonia, but several cardiovascular complications may also occur (e.g., acute coronary syndromes, pulmonary embolism, stroke, arrhythmias, heart failure and cardiogenic shock). Direct or indirect mechanisms induced by SARS-CoV-2 could be implicated in the pathogenesis of these events.
Case presentation: We report herein the third case of COVID-19 autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA) reported so far, which occurredwithout any other possible explanations in a Caucasian patient. The patient also suffered from ST-elevation myocardial injury.
Conclusions: Both complications occurred quite late after COVID-19 diagnosis and were probably precipitated by systemic inflammation, as indicated by a significant delayed increase in inflammatory markers, including interleukin-6 (IL-6).
Keywords: AIHA; Anaemia; COVID-19; Cardiovascular disease; IL-6; Inflammation.