THE LONG ARM OF COVID-19

Abstract

Chickenpox is often described as a benign disease. However, patients with varicella and coinfection with COVID-19 may develop severe respiratory infection. The interest in the presented case arose from the unusual fast progress of the chickenpox which led to a lethal outcome in a patient with unsuspected COVID-19, proven by PCR after his death. The underlying disease – cancer of the tongue was in remission and wasn’t a cause for immunosuppression which could be a reason for the clinical course of the disease. Aim: To present an interesting case of a 44-year-old man with a previous diagnosis of oral cancer who died after he was diagnosed with varicella and tested positive postmortem for COVID-19. Patient and method: A 44-year-old patient was admitted to the hospital urgently and stayed for 3 and a half hours in the clinic of infectious diseases of UMHAT "St. George", Plovdiv, with a diagnosis of varicella. The patient has accompanying diseases like oral cancer (root of the tongue) and hypertension. Epidemiological data are for contact and fresh infection with varicella, progressing rapidly and beginning of symptoms of respiratory insufficiency and lethal outcome. Due to the fulminant course and the short period of time, the positive PCR result for COVID-19 was proved after the patient died. Conclusions: Unsuspected comorbidity of COVID-19 and varicella without any other reason for immunosuppression could induce unusual severe course of the chickenpox.

Keywords

• chickenpox
• covid-19
• lethal outcome
• oral cancer