tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
BMJ Case Rep
. 2020 Sep 14;13(9):e237720.
doi: 10.1136/bcr-2020-237720.
Prolonged RNA shedding of the 2019 novel coronavirus in an asymptomatic patient with a VP shunt
Firas El-Baba[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Danielle Gabe[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Allan Frank[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
A 33-year-old man with paranoid schizophrenia and a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt was sent to our institution from an inpatient psychiatric facility due to concerns for the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Per the facility, the patient had a fever and non-productive cough. On admission, the patient was afebrile and lacked subjective symptoms. A RNA reverse transcriptase PCR (RNA RT-PCR) test for COVID-19 was positive. A chest X-ray contained a small patchy opacity in the right middle lobe and another in the retrocardiac region concerning for pneumonia. Inflammatory markers were mildly elevated. He remained COVID-19 positive and asymptomatic for 36 days. This case details one asymptomatic carrier's course with persistently positive COVID-19 nasopharyngeal swabs. It demonstrates that a VP shunt could be a possible predisposition for prolonged viral shedding.
Keywords: infectious diseases; respiratory medicine.
. 2020 Sep 14;13(9):e237720.
doi: 10.1136/bcr-2020-237720.
Prolonged RNA shedding of the 2019 novel coronavirus in an asymptomatic patient with a VP shunt
Firas El-Baba[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Danielle Gabe[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Allan Frank[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 32928812
- DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2020-237720
Abstract
A 33-year-old man with paranoid schizophrenia and a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt was sent to our institution from an inpatient psychiatric facility due to concerns for the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Per the facility, the patient had a fever and non-productive cough. On admission, the patient was afebrile and lacked subjective symptoms. A RNA reverse transcriptase PCR (RNA RT-PCR) test for COVID-19 was positive. A chest X-ray contained a small patchy opacity in the right middle lobe and another in the retrocardiac region concerning for pneumonia. Inflammatory markers were mildly elevated. He remained COVID-19 positive and asymptomatic for 36 days. This case details one asymptomatic carrier's course with persistently positive COVID-19 nasopharyngeal swabs. It demonstrates that a VP shunt could be a possible predisposition for prolonged viral shedding.
Keywords: infectious diseases; respiratory medicine.