COVID-19 and Stress: A Young Male Presenting with Central Cyanosis, Dark Urine, Oliguria, Jaundice and Anemia due to Methemoglobinemia as a result of Suicidal Naphthalene Mothball Poisoning Recovered with Exchange Transfusion

A young man presented with abdominal pain and vomiting after eating Naphthalene Mothball. He had dyspnea, central cyanosis (SaO2 on air was 67% on air), marked pallor, deep jaundice and dehydration. His urine color was black; and, his plasma in clotted blood sample was brownish. He was treated as methemoglobinemia due to suicidal Naphthalene Mothball poisoning with fluid and electrolyte replacement, ascorbic acid, N-acetylcystine and exchange transfusion twice with four units of whole blood. Dramatic improvement in central cyanosis immediately following exchange transfusion. Psychiatric consultation and counselling were done; he admitted the main reason for committing suicide was socioeconomic stress due to COVID-19.

Management of hemolytic transfusion reactions

Delayed hemolytic transfusion reactions (DHTRs) in patients with sickle cell disease are underappreciated and potentially fatal. Patients with DHTRs typically have symptoms of pain or dark urine days to weeks following a red blood cell (RBC) transfusion. In instances of DHTRs with hyperhemolysis, the patient's hemoglobin (Hgb) may be significantly lower than it was pretransfusion, and the Hgb A may drop by more than 50%. In most cases, at least 1 RBC alloantibody and sometimes multiple RBC alloantibodies can be identified during the DHTR, with those antibodies presumably having fallen below the level of detection at the time of the implicated transfusion. However, in up to one-third of cases, no new RBC alloantibodies can be identified posttransfusion. Complement is increasingly being appreciated to play a role in DHTRs and hyperhemolysis, not only due to classic pathway activation (with complement fixed antibody bound to RBCs) but also due to alternative pathway activation (resulting in part from plasma free heme). As such, anti-C5 inhibition has recently been reported to be effective at mitigating hemolysis in the setting of some severe DHTRs. Transfusion avoidance during DHTRs is recommended if possible, with long-term transfusion support advice being less clear; for example, a history of a severe DHTR may lead to questions regarding the safety of transfusions prior to curative therapies such as stem cell transplantation or gene therapy. A better understanding of antibody-positive and antibody-negative DHTRs, including patient- or disease-specific risk factors, is necessary to improve transfusion safety.

Diagnosis and clinical management of enzymopathies

At least 16 genetically determined conditions qualify as red blood cell enzymopathies. They range in frequency from ultrarare to rare, with the exception of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, which is very common. Nearly all these enzymopathies manifest as chronic hemolytic anemias, with an onset often in the neonatal period. The diagnosis can be quite easy, such as when a child presents with dark urine after eating fava beans, or it can be quite difficult, such as when an adult presents with mild anemia and gallstones. In general, 4 steps are recommended: (1) recognizing chronic hemolytic anemia; (2) excluding acquired causes; (3) excluding hemoglobinopathies and membranopathies; (4) pinpointing which red blood cell enzyme is deficient. Step 4 requires 1 or many enzyme assays; alternatively, DNA testing against an appropriate gene panel can combine steps 3 and 4. Most patients with a red blood cell enzymopathy can be managed by good supportive care, including blood transfusion, iron chelation when necessary, and splenectomy in selected cases; however, some patients have serious extraerythrocytic manifestations that are difficult to manage. In the absence of these, red blood cell enzymopathies are in principle amenable to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and gene therapy/gene editing.

Dark urine as the initial manifestation of COVID-19: a case report

Background Rhabdomyolysis is defined as a syndrome consisting of muscle necrosis and the release of intracellular muscle components into the bloodstream. Although rhabdomyolysis has been previously reported as an initial presentation or late complication of COVID-19, the data on it is still limited, and currently, there is no single case of COVID-19 in the literature that describes creatine kinase levels of more than 30,000 IU/L. Case presentation A 50-year-old African–American male presented to the hospital with decreased urine output, dark urine color, and constipation for the past couple of days. He was found to have acute kidney injury, liver injury, and creatinine kinase of 359,910 IU/L, for which aggressive intravenous fluid therapy was given. Infectious workup resulted in positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 polymerase chain reaction. Two days after admission, the patient became symptomatic from a coronavirus disease 2019: he developed fever and hypoxia, and was placed on supplemental oxygen and started on a 10-day course of dexamethasone. The patient responded well to the treatment and supportive care for coronavirus disease 2019 and was successfully discharged. Conclusion Clinicians should be cognizant of atypical coronavirus disease 2019 presentations. The spectrum of damage of coronavirus disease 2019 is still an evolving topic, and more research is required to reveal the exact mechanisms by which severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 leads to rhabdomyolysis.

Diffuse melanosis secondary to metastatic melanoma in a Nelore bull

We report a case of diffuse melanosis secondary to metastatic malignant melanoma in a Nelore bull. Clinical signs included isolation from the herd, epistaxis, hyperthermia, pale ocular membranes, mucoid diarrhea and dark urine. Despite anti-inflammatory and antibiotic therapy, the bull died 45 days after the onset of the clinical signs. The most striking lesion was diffuse black discoloration to the visceral organs including liver, spleen, lungs, lymph nodes, and kidneys; all these affect organs were moderately enlarged”. The urine was black. Histologically, 50-80% of the parenchyma of the liver, spleen and lymph nodes was obliterated by aggregates of melanin-loaded neoplastic melanocytes. Those neoplastic cells also occurred within capillaries of the liver, spleen, lymph nodes, urinary bladder, lungs and kidneys. Immunohistochemistry of neoplastic melanocytes was positive for Melan A and PNL2 markers. Abundant brown to black pigment was found in melanophages in the lungs, confirmed by IBA1 immunohistochemistry.

Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Exertional Rhabdomyolysis after Indoor Spinning: A Systematic Review

ObjectivesMore patients are being diagnosed with exertional rhabdomyolysis secondary to indoor spinning. We conducted a systematic review to characterize the clinical characteristics of this new clinical entity.MethodsWe conducted a thorough literature search on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus and The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). Articles published from inception till 23rd June 2021 were considered for inclusion. A two-stage article selection process was performed. Articles that reported clinical characteristics and outcomes for patients with SIER were included. Quality assessment was performed using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklists.ResultsThere was a total of 22 articles and 97 patients with SIER. Most patients were healthy females who had attended their first spinning session. The average time to clinical presentation was 3.1 ± 1.5 days. The most common presenting symptoms were myalgia, dark urine and muscle weakness involving the thigh. Seven patients (7.2%) developed acute kidney injury, and two patients (2.1%) required temporary inpatient haemodialysis. Four patients (4.1%) developed thigh compartment syndrome and required fasciotomies. There were no long-term sequelae or mortality observed. The average length of stay was 5.6 ± 2.9 days.ConclusionsHealthcare professionals must have a high index of suspicion of SIER if any patient presents with myalgia, dark urine or weakness after a recent episode of indoor spinning. Fitness centre owners, spinning instructors and participants should also be better educated about the clinical characteristics and manifestations of SIER.

A case of hepatitis B and mycobacterium leprae co-infection causing challenges in diagnosis and treatment

Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic disease. Most patients are asymptomatic when newly infected. However, some can develop acute hepatitis with symptoms that last several weeks, including yellowing of the skin and eyes, dark urine, extreme fatigue, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. There are several extrahepatic manifestations that are associated with chronic HBV infection, including arthralgia, weakness, nephritis, and generalized vasculitis. Leprosy is also an infectious disease caused by a bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae, which multiplies slowly. Leprosy mainly affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, and the eyes. The co-infection of HBV and mycobacterium leprae can lead to various manifestations and complications. Hepatitis B co-infection worsen course of leprosy. Leprosy treatment can also lead to flare of latent HBV infection. In this case report, we discuss the challenges faced in diagnosing and treating co-infection and complication of leprosy in a patient with chronic hepatitis B infection. Keywords: leprosy; hepatitis B; leprosy reaction; vasculitis.

Leptospirosis: A Rare Cause of Acute Hepatitis

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic infection caused by the pathogenic Leptospira interrogans. Humans acquire the infection either through direct contact with the urine of infected animals, commonly rats or indirect contact of contaminated water or soil. It is a rare cause of acute hepatitis in the UK with fewer than 100 reported cases a year and hence diagnosis is commonly delayed. A 51-year-old fit Caucasian gentleman was admitted with a one-week history of painless jaundice, dark urine and pale-coloured stools. This was associated with feeling unwell, anorexia, nausea and intermittent epigastric discomfort. He binges on alcohol on a weekend. He works as a telephone engineer which occasionally exposes him to sewage water. On clinical examination, he was icteric with mild right hypochondriac tenderness. Liver biopsy was performed and histologically it was suggestive of leptospirosis. He was started on a five-day course of intravenous ceftriaxone followed by two days course of oral doxycycline. His IgM leptospirosis result finally came back as positive. Due to the rarity of leptospirosis in the UK, the serological testing of leptospirosis is only performed in the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory in Porton Down, Salisbury leading to a delay in getting the result. The patient underwent an invasive procedure which can be avoided if the leptospirosis serology was ordered early and result available quickly. Fortunately, the patient made a full recovery after two months. Leptospirosis should be considered in an individual with acute hepatitis and a history of exposure to sewage.International Journal of Human and Health Sciences Supplementary Issue-2: 2021 Page: S22

Coinfection with dengue and hepatitis A complicated with infective endocarditis in a Yemeni patient: a case report

Introduction Coinfection with dengue and hepatitis A is rare and challenging for physicians since their clinical features can be overlapping. These infections are self-limiting but can become complicated by subsequent infective endocarditis. We report a case of infective endocarditis following a coinfection with dengue and hepatitis A. Case presentation A 17-year-old Yemeni male patient was admitted to the hospital complaining of yellowish discoloration of the skin and sclera associated with dark urine and a diffuse skin rash on the trunk and upper limbs followed by intermittent high-grade fever. Coinfection was confirmed by hepatitis A immunoglobulin M and dengue immunoglobulin M. At the time of diagnosis, white blood cells were normal, with mild neutrophilia and thrombocytopenia along with elevated C-reactive protein. Five days later, the patient was readmitted to the emergency department, complaining of high-grade fever, fatigue, myalgia, nausea, and vomiting. A systolic heart murmur was heard, and infective endocarditis was confirmed by the visualization of two vegetations on the mitral valve and coagulase-negative staphylococci after blood culture. Supportive therapies were initiated for hepatitis A and dengue fever, whereas infective endocarditis was treated with antibiotics for 4 weeks. The patient recovered completely from dengue, hepatitis A, and infective endocarditis. Conclusion In endemic areas, it is reasonable to screen for coinfection with dengue and hepatitis A since they are superimposed on each other. Subacute infective endocarditis may occur following initial dengue and hepatitis A coinfection, especially among patients with rheumatic heart disease. An echocardiogram is a pivotal workup for evaluating a patient with persistent fever of unknown origin.