Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and ischemic colitis: An under-recognized complication

Abstract

COVID-19 has spread worldwide, with more than 2.5 million cases and over 80,000 deaths reported by the end of April 2020. In addition to pulmonary symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms have been increasingly recognized as part of the disease spectrum. COVID-19-associated coagulopathy has recently emerged as a major component of the disease, leading to high morbidity and mortality. Ischemic colitis has been reported to be associated with a hypercoagulable state. To our knowledge, there have not been any case reports of COVID-19 associated with ischemic colitis. Herein, we present the first case of a probable association of COVID-19 with ischemic colitis in a patient with a hypercoagulable state.

Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus; Hypercoagulability; Ischemic colitis; SARS-CoV-2.

Fig. 1

Chest X-ray showed diffuse bilateral reticular infiltrates with ill-defined areas of opacity that were more predominant on the right.

Fig. 2

CT of the abdomen and pelvis showed mucosal hyperenhancement with mass-like thickening at the distal sigmoid colon measuring 76 × 51 × 64 mm (axial view).

Fig. 3

CT of the abdomen and pelvis showed mucosal hyperenhancement with mass-like thickening at the distal sigmoid colon measuring 76 × 51 × 64 mm (coronal view).