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Virol J
. 2020 Jul 8;17(1):97.
doi: 10.1186/s12985-020-01370-6.
Relapsing Viral Keratoconjunctivitis in COVID-19: A Case Report
Dongyu Guo 1 , Jianhua Xia 1 , Yang Wang 1 , Xuhong Zhang 1 , Ye Shen 2 , Jian-Ping Tong 3
Affiliations
- PMID: 32641169
- DOI: 10.1186/s12985-020-01370-6
Abstract
Background: Since the outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in December 2019, many studies have reported the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the conjunctival sac of patients infected with this virus, with several patients displaying symptoms of viral conjunctivitis. However, to our best knowledge, there is no in-depth report on the course of patients with COVID-19 complicated by relapsing viral conjunctivitis or keratoconjunctivitis.
Case presentation: A 53-year-old man confirmed with COVID-19 developed symptoms of viral conjunctivitis in the left eye approximately 10 days after the onset of COVID-19. The results of a nucleic acid test were positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the conjunctival sac of the left eye. The symptoms were relieved 6 days after treatment. However, the patient was subsequently diagnosed with viral keratoconjunctivitis in both eyes 5 days after the symptoms in the left eye were satisfactorily relieved. The disease progressed rapidly, with spot staining observed at the periphery of the corneal epithelium. Although SARS-CoV-2 could not be detected in conjunctival secretions, the levels of inflammatory factors, such as interleukin-6, were increased in both eyes. Both eyes were treated with glucocorticoids, and symptoms were controlled within 5 days. There was no recurrence.
Conclusions: In this case report, the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, treatment, and outcome of a case with COVID-19 complicated by relapsing viral keratoconjunctivitis is described, and the involvement of topical cytokine surge in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 as it relates to viral keratoconjunctivitis is reported.
Keywords: Coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Conjunctivitis, Cytokine surge.