Open AccessSkin Rash and Interstitial Pneumonia Can Be a Fatal Combination: A Rare Case of Anti-Melanoma Differentiation-Associated Gene 5 (MDA5)-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease
Author(s) -
Giorgia Borio,
Chiara Terracciano,
Federico Buttafava,
Andrea Vercelli,
Laura Pagani,
Chiara Zanzani,
Alessandra Manicardi,
Andrea Magnacavallo,
Erika Poggiali
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
european journal of case reports in internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.125
H-Index - 1
ISSN - 2284-2594
DOI - 10.12890/2021_002860
Subject(s) - medicine , interstitial lung disease , rash , mda5 , dermatology , atypical pneumonia , lung , pneumonia , immunology , gene , rna , biochemistry , chemistry , rna interference
We report the case of a 62-year-old male patient fully vaccinated for COVID-19, admitted to our emergency room for persistent fever associated with exertional dyspnoea, skin lesions, diffuse myalgias and arthralgias not responsive to broad-spectrum antibiotic and antiviral therapy, who developed a rapidly progressive refractory to treatment interstitial lung disease due to anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) antibodies, that required mechanical ventilation and ECMO. Here, we highlight the importance of always considering alternative diagnoses, i.e. viral and autoimmune diseases, including anti-MDA5 antibody screening, when dealing with patients with a skin rash, seronegative polyarthralgias and interstitial pneumonia, or acute respiratory distress syndrome of unknown origin.