tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Eur J Case Rep Intern Med
. 2021 Oct 26;8(10):002759.
doi: 10.12890/2021_002759. eCollection 2021.
Late-Term Complications of COVID-19: Retropharyngeal Infection and Myocarditis in a 26-Year-Old Patient
Mohammad Yousef[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Basel Abdelazeem[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Atefeh Kalantary[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Rebecca Pratiti[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Deep neck space infection and viral myocarditis related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have both been described in the medical literature. However, there are only three reported cases of retropharyngeal infection as a presenting pathology in the setting of COVID-19. A 26-year-old woman presented to the emergency room with fever and neck swelling and pain 1 month after COVID-19 infection. A computed tomography scan of the neck demonstrated tonsillitis with retropharyngeal infection. She was also found to have heart failure with an ejection fraction (EF) of <20% due to acute myocarditis. Her infection resolved and the EF improved to 40% prior to discharge. Our case is the first to describe retropharyngeal infection as a late complication in an adult with a history of COVID-19 several weeks previously. It also presented a clinical challenge in terms of tailoring goal-directed medical therapy to manage severe left ventricular dysfunction caused by myocarditis.
Learning points: Deep neck space infections may be a long-term complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection.Fever, neck swelling and pain should arouse suspicion of deep neck space infection even in adults.Acute viral myocarditis in the setting of SARS-CoV-2 can present many weeks after the initial infection.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; deep neck space infection; retropharyngeal abscess; viral myocarditis.
. 2021 Oct 26;8(10):002759.
doi: 10.12890/2021_002759. eCollection 2021.
Late-Term Complications of COVID-19: Retropharyngeal Infection and Myocarditis in a 26-Year-Old Patient
Mohammad Yousef[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Basel Abdelazeem[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Atefeh Kalantary[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Rebecca Pratiti[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34790619
- PMCID: PMC8592664
- DOI: 10.12890/2021_002759
Abstract
Deep neck space infection and viral myocarditis related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have both been described in the medical literature. However, there are only three reported cases of retropharyngeal infection as a presenting pathology in the setting of COVID-19. A 26-year-old woman presented to the emergency room with fever and neck swelling and pain 1 month after COVID-19 infection. A computed tomography scan of the neck demonstrated tonsillitis with retropharyngeal infection. She was also found to have heart failure with an ejection fraction (EF) of <20% due to acute myocarditis. Her infection resolved and the EF improved to 40% prior to discharge. Our case is the first to describe retropharyngeal infection as a late complication in an adult with a history of COVID-19 several weeks previously. It also presented a clinical challenge in terms of tailoring goal-directed medical therapy to manage severe left ventricular dysfunction caused by myocarditis.
Learning points: Deep neck space infections may be a long-term complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection.Fever, neck swelling and pain should arouse suspicion of deep neck space infection even in adults.Acute viral myocarditis in the setting of SARS-CoV-2 can present many weeks after the initial infection.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; deep neck space infection; retropharyngeal abscess; viral myocarditis.