Open AccessLongest reported case of symptomatic COVID-19 reporting positive for over 230 days in an immunocompromised patient in the United States
Author(s) -
Bilal Chaudhry,
Lidiya Didenko,
Maaria Chaudhry,
Andrew Malek,
Kirill Alekseyev
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
sage open medical case reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2050-313X
DOI - 10.1177/2050313x211040028
Subject(s) - medicine , covid-19 , viral shedding , immunosuppression , pandemic , pneumonia , coronavirus , antibody , pediatrics , immunology , virology , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , outbreak
Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia was first noted in Wuhan, China. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been millions of cases diagnosed. The average time from onset of symptoms to testing negative SARS-CoV-2 via reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction is roughly 25 days. In patients who continually test positive for COVID-19, it is essential to determine precisely which risk factors contribute to the increase in viral shedding duration. We present a case about a 62-year-old man who has persistently tested positive for COVID-19 for more than 230 days. We followed his treatment course, in which he had been hospitalized multiple times since the onset of symptoms back in April 2020. We have determined that patients with immunosuppression, especially those taking corticosteroids, are at increased risk of prolonged viral shedding. It is essential to continually monitor these immunocompromised patients as they required a greater time period in order to have an appropriate immune response in which antibodies are created.