Treatment of a patient with COVID-19 and adverse premorbid background: A case report

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In the presence of severe comorbid pathology, children get sick with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as severe as adults.

CASE REPORT: This paper describes the treatment of a 17-year-old patient with severe bilateral pneumonia caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 that damage a large volume of the lung tissue (69% on the right, 87.1% on the left, and grade IV lung lesions according to computed tomography) with an unfavorable premorbid background (grade IV obesity with a body mass index of 54.5 kg/m², Down syndrome, moderate mental retardation, and primary hypothyroidism). The child was admitted to the hospital on day 10 of illness in an extremely serious condition. On admission, she received artificial lung ventilation and then high-flow mask ventilation with an oxygen flow of 12 L/min. In addition to respiratory support, she received etiotropic (hydroxychloroquine), anticoagulant (enoxaparin), antibacterial, (ceftriaxone), and antihypertensive treatments. Levothyroxine sodium was administered for hypothyroidism. Permanent monitoring of the acid–base balance, general and biochemical blood tests, and coagulography were performed. Gradual positive dynamics of the respiratory status was observed, and oxygen flow decreased. The case was constantly consulted to a pulmonologist, endocrinologist, and cardiologist, who corrected antihypertensive therapy depending on blood pressure indicators. Oxygen support was given for 13 days. After receiving a double-negative PCR test for COVID-19, the patient was transferred to the pulmonology department, from which she was discharged in satisfactory condition for outpatient observation.

CONCLUSION: Our patient with COVID-19, severe lung damage with a combination of comorbid pathologies, extremely unfavorable prognosis (grade IV obesity, Down syndrome, and hypothyroidism), who received active complex treatment in accordance with modern guidelines, recovered despite late admission to the hospital.

Keywords

novel coronavirus infection COVID-19 / pneumonia / obesity / Down syndrome / children

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Tulokhonova J.S., Obarchuk O.G., Averina I.A.