Since its confirmation in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, at the end of 2019, the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has rapidly spread worldwide in multiple epidemic waves while undergoing mutations. To date, numerous individuals have been infected. Symptoms range from asymptomatic and common cold-like to acute respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which can lead to death. Here, we present the case of an 81-year-old woman with a fever that persisted for more than five days after infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). She underwent chest imaging that revealed complications of interstitial pneumonia presumed to be caused by COVID-19. Computed tomography (CT) findings in COVID-19 pneumonia are often nonspecific. In this case, scattered frosted shadows were observed in both lung fields, and blood tests revealed elevated Krebs von den Lungen 6 (KL-6) levels. Immediate therapeutic treatment is warranted when patients with multiple risk factors for COVID-19 present with interstitial pneumonia.
Keywords: acute respiratory distress syndrome; covid-19; family medicine; general medicine; hypoxemia; interstitial pneumonia; post-covid sequelae; prednisone; rural hospital.
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