Cureus . Two Cases of Lung Abscess and Pleuritis in Severe COVID-19 Patients

[tetano]

Cureus


. 2024 Jun 3;16(6):e61614.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.61614. eCollection 2024 Jun. Two Cases of Lung Abscess and Pleuritis in Severe COVID-19 Patients

Shiho Goda ¹ , Tatsuya Yuba ² , Kohei Yamamoto ¹ , Misaki Sasakura ¹ , Noriya Hiraoka ¹



Affiliations

• PMID: 38962614
• PMCID: PMC11221974
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.61614

Abstract

We report two patients who were treated with remdesivir, steroids, and tocilizumab for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and developed lung abscesses and pleuritis. Although complications due to bacterial infections are often reported in COVID-19 patients, these severe infections are rare. Patients receiving tocilizumab are at a high risk of developing serious bacterial infections, and the diagnosis is often delayed because symptoms such as fever and elevated C-reactive protein levels are often minimal. The possibility of complications owing to severe bacterial infections should be considered when treating patients with severe COVID-19.

Keywords: covid-19; lung abscess; pleuritis; secondary bacterial infection; tocilizumab.