Open AccessTubercular Empyema Thoracic: An Acute Presentation with COVID-19 Co-infection
Author(s) -
Sachin Gautam,
Sanjay Pandit,
D.P. Bhadoria,
Rahul Kumar
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of clinical and diagnostic research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2249-782X
pISSN - 0973-709X
DOI - 10.7860/jcdr/2021/48397:15039
Subject(s) - medicine , empyema , pneumonia , ards , coronavirus , exacerbation , diffuse alveolar damage , covid-19 , respiratory system , respiratory distress , lung , intensive care medicine , disease , acute respiratory distress , pathology , radiology , infectious disease (medical specialty)
COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) pandemic is caused by a novel Coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, which has received worldwide attention and most COVID-19 patients have respiratory symptoms and develop a mild disease. In addition, co-infection of SARS-CoV-2 with other respiratory infections of bacterial, other viral and fungal origin needs to be validated. The clinical features, course and treatment of TB patients with COVID-19 are unclear and understudied. There is paucity of literature on this co-infection. Here, authors present a case report of a young diabetic Asian male patient who presented to the emergency department as COVID-19 positive with acute exacerbation of symptoms, who later developed respiratory distress and was eventually found to have a lung abscess with subsequent tubercular empyema thoracic on contrary to a severe COVID-19 pneumonia or a fungal infection, as thought of. Contrast Enhanced Computed Tomography (CECT) chest along with Cartridge-Based Nuclei Acid Amplification Test (CBNAAT) of pleural fluid pus confirmed the tubercular lesion timely to aid the diagnosis and further course of management.