The Spleen as an Extrapulmonary Target of COVID-19.‎

Document Type : Letter to the editor

Authors

1 Assiut Center for Viral Hepatitis Management, Ministry of Health, Assiut, Egypt.

2 Tropical Medicine and Gastroenterology Department, Assiut University, Assiut,Egypt.

3 Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut , Egypt.

Abstract

The spleen has been recently reported as one of the unusual extrapulmonary organs that can be affected by COVID-19. Different splenic lesions were described in COVID-19 patients. Herein, we summarize a few recent reports that have described splenic lesions in association with COVID-19. Splenic infarction was reported frequently, ruptured spleen and splenic abscess were also reported. Splenic involvement in COVID -19 can be caused through direct virus damage of the spleen and/or COVID-19 induced microvascular thrombosis and vasculitis.The hypercoagulable state induced by COVID-19 virus lead to splenic artery or vein thrombosis and splenic infarction development due to splenic hypoperfusion. The spleen may be an extrapulmonary target of COVID-19 virus and abdominal pain is alarming in COVID-19 infection, it may indicate a serious condition. Computed tomography (CT) abdomen is helpful in diagnosis of splenic complications secondary to COVID-19. Early diagnosis and intervention is life saving in most of these patients. Emergency surgical laparotomy and splenectomy is life-saving in these cases.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics