Leptospirosis during the COVID-19 pandemic: a case report.
Mehmet Emir ArmanMustafa YavuzDeniz ÇekiçKubilay IsseverAhmed Cihad GençSelcuk YaylacıPublished in: Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de Sao Paulo (2023)
Since SARS-CoV-2 disease (COVID-19) has been labeled as a pandemic, it took the spotlight in the differential diagnosis for patients presenting with acute respiratory and systemic symptoms. Leptospirosis is one of the most common zoonoses in the world, yet it is mainly a disease of differential diagnosis for places that do not have it as an endemic. Due to the high burden of COVID-19 on the healthcare field, patients suffering from other infections may have been inadvertently neglected. COVID-19 infection can mimic other infectious diseases and can confuse physicians in their search for a confirmatory diagnosis. Nonetheless, it is very crucial to broaden the differential diagnosis and keep diseases like leptospirosis within the differential diagnosis despite its rarity, especially in patients presenting with unexplained systemic infectious symptoms. This is a unique case of a patient who presented with dyspnea, jaundice and change in urine color who was suspected to be COVID-19 positive. After a detailed investigation, the patient was diagnosed with leptospirosis instead of COVID-19 and was treated with plasmapheresis and antibiotics accordingly.
Keyphrases
- sars cov
- coronavirus disease
- respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- healthcare
- infectious diseases
- newly diagnosed
- end stage renal disease
- primary care
- ejection fraction
- pulmonary embolism
- sleep quality
- palliative care
- social media
- computed tomography
- respiratory failure
- mechanical ventilation
- risk factors
- extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
- acute respiratory distress syndrome
- health information
- positron emission tomography