Pulmonary involvement in connective tissue disease due to Coronavirus 19: a case report

Abstract

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a disease caused by the new coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerging in Wuhan, China s Hubei province. The epidemic spread exponentially across the world and became a pandemic [1-3]. Fever, dry cough, headache, and shortness of breath all typical symptoms, and can lead to death with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic kidney disease tend to be major risk factors for mortality [4]. Real-time fluorescence reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the preferred initial and reference diagnostic test for COVID-19. Chest computed tomography (CT) has gained importance due to the long result time and false negativity of the RT-PCR test [5, 6]. Typical imaging findings for COVID-19 pneumonia are peripheral, bilateral, ground glass opacities with or without consolidation, and the differential diagnosis comprises influenza pneumonia, organizing pneumonia, drug toxicity, and connective tissue disease [7]. Due to immune dysfunction, steroid usage and immunotherapy, connective tissue diseases are vulnerable to viral infections. Few studies have identified the presence of concurrent COVID-19 in patients with connective tissue diseases [8, 9]. In this article, we aimed to present the chest CT findings of a patient with connective tissue diseases who received immunosuppressed therapy