Sustained coronavirus disease 2019-related organizing pneumonia successfully treated with corticosteroid

• Published in: Respiratory investigation Vol. 59; no. 3; pp. 377 - 381
• Main Authors: Takumida, Hiroshi, Izumi, Shinyu, Sakamoto, Keita, Hashimoto, Masao, Ishii, Satoru, Suzuki, Manabu, Takasaki, Jin, Tanaka, Mariko, Igari, Toru, Hojo, Masayuki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.05.2021; The Japanese Respiratory Society. Published by Elsevier B.V
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; Aged; Biomarkers - blood; Case Report; COVID-19; COVID-19 - diagnosis; COVID-19 - drug therapy; COVID-19 - pathology; Cryobiopsy; Humans; Lung - diagnostic imaging; Lung - pathology; Male; Organizing pneumonia; Oxygen Inhalation Therapy; Prednisolone - administration & dosage; Steroid; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Treatment Outcome; Steroid; CRP; OP; DAD; BAL; COVID-19; CT; PaO2; Organizing pneumonia; SARS-CoV-2; SP-D; RT-PCR; Cryobiopsy
• ISSN: 2212-5345; 2212-5353
• DOI: 10.1016/j.resinv.2020.12.005

A 70-year-old Japanese man contracted severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and required oxygen to maintain oxygen saturation (>90%), 5 weeks after onset of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms. Transbronchial lung cryobiopsy revealed pathological features of organizing pneumonia with alveolar epithelial injury, and prednisolone administration led to alleviation of respiratory symptoms and recovery of respiratory function. This case report is the first to demonstrate the use of corticosteroids to successfully treat post-COVID-19 respiratory failure in a patient with biopsy-proven organizing pneumonia. We propose that steroid treatment be considered for patients with persistent respiratory dysfunction as COVID-19 pneumonia sequelae.