Frontiers in Medicine (Dec 2021)

Bilateral Spontaneous Pneumothorax in a COVID-19 and HIV-Positive Patient: A Case Report

  • Young Min Cho,
  • Sara Guevara,
  • Judith Aronsohn,
  • Judith Aronsohn,
  • James M. Mumford,
  • James M. Mumford,
  • Linda Shore-Lesserson,
  • Linda Shore-Lesserson,
  • Santiago J. Miyara,
  • Santiago J. Miyara,
  • Martin Herrera,
  • Claudia Kirsch,
  • Christine N. Metz,
  • Christine N. Metz,
  • Christine N. Metz,
  • Stefanos Zafeiropoulos,
  • Stefanos Zafeiropoulos,
  • Dimitrios Giannis,
  • Alexia McCann-Molmenti,
  • Kei Hayashida,
  • Kei Hayashida,
  • Koichiro Shinozaki,
  • Koichiro Shinozaki,
  • Muhammad Shoaib,
  • Muhammad Shoaib,
  • Rishabh C. Choudhary,
  • Rishabh C. Choudhary,
  • Gabriel I. Aranalde,
  • Lance B. Becker,
  • Lance B. Becker,
  • Lance B. Becker,
  • Lance B. Becker,
  • Ernesto P. Molmenti,
  • Ernesto P. Molmenti,
  • Ernesto P. Molmenti,
  • James Kruer,
  • Anthony Hatoum

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2021.698268
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8

Abstract

Read online

This case report describes a 60 year-old Black-American male with a past medical history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and hyperthyroidism, who suffered a bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax (SP) in the setting of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. SP is a well-established complication in HIV-positive patients and only recently has been associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. While HIV and COVID-19 infections have been independently linked with increased risk of SP development, it is unknown if both infections interact in a synergistic fashion to exacerbate SP risk. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), patients living with HIV have a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 infection and the mechanism remains to be elucidated. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a HIV-positive patient, who in the setting of SARS-CoV-2 infection, developed bilateral apical spontaneous pneumothorax and was later found to have a left lower lobe tension pneumothorax. This case highlights the importance of considering SP on the differential diagnosis when HIV-positive patients suddenly develop respiratory distress in the setting of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Keywords