Frequency of five unusual presentations in patients with COVID-19: results of the UMC-19-S1

Epidemiol Infect. 2020 Aug 26:148:e189. doi: 10.1017/S0950268820001910.

Abstract

Despite SARS-CoV-19 infection has a stereotypical clinical picture, isolated cases with unusual manifestations have been reported, some of them being well-known to be triggered by viral infections. However, the real frequency in COVID-19 is unknown. Analysing data of 63 822 COVID patients attending 50 Spanish emergency department (ED) during the COVID outbreak, before hospitalisation, we report frequencies of (myo)pericarditis (0.71‰), meningoencephalitis (0.25‰), Guillain-Barré syndrome (0.13‰), acute pancreatitis (0.71‰) and spontaneous pneumothorax (0.57‰). Compared with general ED population, COVID patients developed more frequently Guillain-Barré syndrome (odds ratio (OR) 4.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.09-9.90), spontaneous pneumothorax (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.40-2.79) and (myo)pericarditis (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.07-1.97), but less frequently pancreatitis (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.33-0.60).

Keywords: COVID; Guillain–Barré syndrome; SARS-CoV-2; meningoencephalitis; myopericarditis; pancreatitis; spontaneous pneumothorax.

MeSH terms

  • Betacoronavirus
  • COVID-19
  • Coronavirus Infections / complications*
  • Guillain-Barre Syndrome / complications*
  • Guillain-Barre Syndrome / virology
  • Humans
  • Myocarditis / complications*
  • Myocarditis / virology
  • Pancreatitis / complications*
  • Pancreatitis / virology
  • Pandemics
  • Pericarditis / complications*
  • Pericarditis / virology
  • Pneumonia, Viral / complications*
  • Pneumothorax / complications*
  • Pneumothorax / virology
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Spain / epidemiology