COVID-19 patients presenting with afebrile acute abdominal pain

Abstract

Importance With the surge in COVID-19 cases worldwide, the medical community should be aware of atypical clinical presentations to help with correct diagnosis, to take the proper measures to place the patient in isolation and to avoid healthcare professionals being infected by coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Objective To report that patients who subsequently test positive for COVID-19 may present with acute abdominal pain and no pulmonary symptoms, although they already have typical lung lesions on computed tomography (CT) scan. Design, setting and participants This case series is about three patients who presented to the emergency department of a community hospital in Montpellier, France, with acute abdominal pain. Results The three patients had an elevated C-reactive protein level. CT scans demonstrated no abdominal anomaly, but bilateral lung lesions at the lung bases, typical of COVID-19 lesions, were observed. COVID-19 RT-PCR tests were positive for the three patients. The patients were transferred to the COVID-19 centre for disease control at Montpellier University Hospital. As of 29 March 2020, two of those patients are still intubated in the intensive care unit (ICU) and the third was discharged home. Conclusion and relevance COVID-19 infections may present as an acute abdominal pain. In our case series, CT scan findings helped us to suspect the correct diagnosis, which was subsequently confirmed with COVID-19 RT-PCR tests.