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Updated: Dec 22, 2025
Lung CT Segmentation to Identify Consolidations and Ground Glass Areas for Quantitative Assesment of SARS-CoV Pneumonia
Published on: December 19, 2020
A Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Patient with Multifocal Pneumonia Treated with Hydroxychloroquine
Aveek Mukherjee1, Mudassar Ahmad2, Douglas Frenia3
1Internal Medicine, Saint Peter's University Hospital/Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, USA.
Insights
This case study highlights a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in a patient with comorbidities. Early hydroxychloroquine treatment showed a favorable response, improving symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Pulmonology
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, presents a significant global health challenge.
- Patients with underlying comorbidities face a higher risk of severe illness and mortality from COVID-19.
Observation:
- A 49-year-old male with comorbidities presented with fever, cough, myalgia, and shortness of breath after potential COVID-19 exposure.
- Thoracic CT scan revealed multifocal bilateral ground-glass opacities with subpleural sparing, indicative of viral pneumonia.
- Nucleic acid amplification testing confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Findings:
- The patient received hydroxychloroquine therapy for his SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- A favorable clinical response was observed, with significant improvement in symptoms following treatment.
Implications:
- Early diagnosis and prompt treatment, such as with hydroxychloroquine, may be beneficial for COVID-19 patients with comorbidities.
- The findings underscore the importance of early diagnosis, isolation, and quarantine to prevent healthcare system overload.
Abstract:
After an outbreak in December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly become a pandemic. The 2019 novel coronavirus (2019 nCov), now called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causes a wide spectrum of illness and patients with underlying comorbidities have a high mortality. Here we present a 49-year-old male patient with comorbid conditions who presented with fever, cough, myalgia and shortness of breath for five days with likely exposure to a COVID-19 contact. A computed tomography scan of the thorax revealed multifocal bilateral ground-glass lung opacities with areas of subpleural sparing. He tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by nucleic acid amplification. Hydroxychloroquine therapy was started, and the patient responded favorably with improvement of symptoms. Early diagnosis and self-isolation or quarantine remain key to stemming the tide of the contagion as there is a real risk of the healthcare system being overwhelmed.
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