Intestinal ischemia in a COVID-19 patient: Case report from Northern Tanzania

Abstract

Novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first identified in Wuhan, China, and declared by World Health Organization as a pandemic in March 2020. Since then, it has been well known for COVID-19 patients to present with clinical manifestations of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) similar to the influenza. However, in the course of the disease, various pathological complications of high clinical significance have remained unknown. Impaired blood supply to the visceral vascular system can cause serious life-threatening acute damage. We report a case of a 60-year-old female with difficulty in breathing and extensive acute intestinal ischemia confirmed to be associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The patient developed a sudden abdominal pain and succumbed shortly after admission before imaging studies were performed. Autopsy revealed massive bowel ischemia. This case highlights the importance of paying attention to serious and less known clinical manifestations other than pulmonary symptoms and fever.