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Review
. 2020;2(9):1401-1406.
doi: 10.1007/s42399-020-00418-6. Epub 2020 Jul 28.

COVID-19: is it just a lung disease? A case-based review

Valerio Spuntarelli  1 , M Luciani  1 , E Bentivegna  1 , V Marini  1 , F Falangone  1 , G Conforti  1 , E S Rachele  1 , P Martelletti  1
Affiliations
Review

COVID-19: is it just a lung disease? A case-based review

Valerio Spuntarelli et al. SN Compr Clin Med. 2020.

Abstract

Due to its extreme virulence, COVID-19 virus has rapidly spread, developing a severe pandemic. SARS-COV-2 mostly affected the respiratory tract, causing a severe acute lung failure. Although the infection of airways, COVID-19 can be associated with chronic and systemic damages still not so much known. The purpose of this research is to collect recent evidence in literature about systemic diseases caused by COVID-19. The format of the present article has features of a systematic case-based review (level of evidence), and it is structured as a case series report (patients of our COVID-19 Medicine Ward have been selected as cases). Data for this review have been selected systematically, taking evidence only from indexed journals and databases: PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE, and Cochrane systems. Papers chosen included systematic reviews, case series, clinical cases, meta-analysis studies, and RCTs. We start collecting studies since 2003. The main keywords used were "COVID-19" "OR" "SARS" "OR" "SARS - COV 2" "AND" "systemic disease" / "nephropathy" / "cardiac pathology" / "central nervous system." Clinical cases belong to our COVID-19 Medicine Ward. One of the most severe COVID-19 clinical presentations includes cardiovascular problems, like myocarditis, pericarditis, and acute hearth failure. Cytokine release syndrome caused by COVID-19 develops severe acute kidney failure. It is still unknown the way coronavirus damages the liver, brain, and reproductive system. Considering the majority of the new studies about this pathology, it issues that COVID-19 is considered to be a multi-organ disease.

Keywords: “COVID-19” “OR” “SARS” “OR” “SARS – COV 2” “AND” “systemic disease”; “cardiac pathology”; “central nervous system”; “nephropathy”.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of InterestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Moderate ST depression in most precordial leads
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Emergency chest X-ray with severe interstitial edema
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Normal brain CT scan at the entrance
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Ten days of brain CT with new periventricular ischemic lesions
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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