Difficulties in diagnosing the severe coronavirus disease COVID-19 with a negative PCR test result

Abstract

The clinical case in this article describes the topic of current interest concerning the diagnostic methods for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The diagnostic process was hindered by nonspecific initial symptoms and twice negative results of the PCR test. For the next several days, the worsening in dynamics was observed in terms of symptoms and laboratory test results, specific to acute kidney injury, hypercoagulability syndrome and multiple organ failure. Ongoing monitoring of lungs via computed tomography revealed the typical for COVID-19 image of lungs (including ground-glass opacity and pulmonary consolidation). With suspected coronavirus disease the patient’s sample was transferred to the University research laboratory for a serologic test to detect IgG antibodies. The positive result of the test confirmed that the patient had COVID-19. The prescribed anticoagulants and glucocorticosteroids improved the condition. The described clinical case acknowledges the complexity of the PCR test, therefore full investigation and other tests are recommended in the case of suspected coronavirus disease.

Keywords

general practice / infectious disease medicine / coronavirus / polymerase chain reaction / disseminated intravascular coagulation / enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

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