Complications of Spinal Cord Injury can Hide Fever and Cough Associated to COVID-19

Abstract

Aim: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a lower respiratory tract infectious disease. This new coronavirus responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome, higher level of illness and death. Comorbid health conditions are highly important in clinical course of Coronavirus disease. Patient with spinal cord injury (SCI) may have numerous comorbidities like respiratory muscle weakness, tendency to coagulation caused by immobilisation, autonomic dysreflexia accompanied by hypertension, urinary tract infection, SCI-induced immune suppression etc.

Case of Presentation: A 43 year-old male patient is affected by ASIA A, T7 level paraplegia. After the COVID-19 outbreak, he acquired severe dorsal pain with recurrent submaximal fever at night. The patient was considered primarily as a urinary tract infection. He was evaluated covid-19 on the development of dyspnoea and cough in the following periods. Due to SCI complications, it is late in diagnosis and treatment.

Discussion: SCI patients are vulnerable individuals of our society in having respiratory infections. Comorbidities caused by the spinal cord injury lay the ground for this. The importance of this sensitive condition should be emphasized in the COVID-19 pandemic. SCI patients may not come with symptoms such as fever, cough and dyspnoea, which are typical symptoms of covid-19 in initial hospital admissions.

Conclusion: Complications of SCI can cover COVID-19 infections. Evaluating SCI patients in terms of infection, this should be known and cautious. In this way, there is no delay in the treatment of SCI patients and less mortality can be observed.