Sickle cell disease and coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection: a single-center experience.

PURPOSE: Sickle cell disease (SCD) has been found to be associated with an increased risk of hospitalization and death from coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). We sought to study clinical outcomes in patients with SCD and a diagnosis of COVID-19 infection. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of adult patients (>18 years) with SCD who were diagnosed with COVID-19 infection between 1 March 2020 and 31 March 2021. Data on baseline characteristics and overall outcomes were collected and analyzed using SAS 9.4 for Windows. RESULTS: A total of 51 patients with SCD were diagnosed with COVID-19 infection in the study period, out of which 39.3% were diagnosed and managed in the outpatient setting/emergency room (ER) and 60.3% in the inpatient setting. Disease-modifying therapy such as hydroxyurea did not impact inpatient vs outpatient/ER management (P > 0.05). Only 5.71% (n = 2) required intensive care unit admission and were mechanically ventilated and 3.9% (2 patients) died of complications of COVID-19 infection. CONCLUSION: We identified a lower mortality (3.9%) rate among patients in our cohort in comparison to previous studies and a higher burden of inpatient hospitalizations as compared to outpatient/ER management. Further prospective data are needed to validate these findings. Key messages What is already known on this topic COVID-19 has been shown to have a disproportionately unfavorable impact on African Americans, including longer hospital stays, higher rates of ventilator dependence, and a higher overall mortality rate. Limited data also suggest that sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with an increased risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19. What this study adds Our analysis did not show a higher mortality due to COVID-19 in patients with SCD. However, we identified a high burden of inpatient hospitalizations in this population. COVID-19-related outcomes did not improve with the use of disease-modifying therapies. How this study might affect research, practice, or policy These results will aid in decision making for triage of patients with COVID-19 and SCD and ensure the most appropriate use of healthcare resources. Our analysis underscores the need for more robust data to identify patients at higher risk of severe disease and/or mortality, necessitating inpatient hospitalization and aggressive management.

Not Your Typical Adenocarcinoma: A Case of Mesonephric Adenocarcinoma of the Cervix With Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 2 (FGFR2) Mutation.

Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer mortality in women. However, there have been great advances in its prevention and treatment. Nevertheless, there are certain rare forms of this cancer that are under-recognized, underreported, and have a paucity of evidence in terms of treatment. Mesonephric adenocarcinoma (AC) is one such rare disease, with less than 50 cases reported in the literature so far. We report a case of mesonephric AC of the cervix in a 73-year-old female who presented with abnormal vaginal bleeding. Our case is unique in that the patient had recurrence with lung metastases as well as fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) mutation on genetic sequencing. She responded well to platinum-based chemotherapy and is currently on maintenance therapy with lenvatinib and bevacizumab. We aim to bring this patient's disease course and treatment options chosen to the attention of the medical community as this is only the second reported case of mesonephric AC with FGFR2 mutation, and probably the first one to be treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors and immunotherapy with a favorable response.

Vancomycin Induced Thrombocytopenia - Protracted Course in a Hemodialysis Patient.

Vancomycin induced thrombocytopenia (VIT) is an uncommon side effect of vancomycin which can manifest from mild petechiae to life-threatening bleed. Decreased renal clearance of vancomycin results in prolonged thrombocytopenia by antibody-mediated platelet destruction in the presence of vancomycin. Improvement in thrombocytopenia is achieved with the elimination of vancomycin. We describe a patient with end stage renal disease who experienced a protracted course of thrombocytopenia from vancomycin. We illustrate the mechanism of thrombocytopenia and the treatment modalities used by us and those described in literature. VIT is an important differential in patients with thrombocytopenia admitted to the hospital.