COVID-recovered woman develops complications

Perforations in food pipe and intestine due to white fungus

May 27, 2021 11:23 pm | Updated 11:23 pm IST - New Delhi

Rapid antigen test under way at Model Town in Delhi on Thursday.

Rapid antigen test under way at Model Town in Delhi on Thursday.

A woman, who recovered from COVID-19, developed perforations in the lower end of the food pipe, upper part of the small intestine, and the large intestine due to white fungus infection in a “very rare” case, said Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

The 49-year-old woman had undergone mastectomy (removal of breast) due to cancer and had also received chemotherapy till four weeks ago.

Rare case

“The probable explanation for the perforations is a combination of three states leading to immunosuppression: a malignancy [carcinoma breast], recent chemotherapy, and a superimposed COVID-19 infection,” said Anil Arora, Chairman of Institute of Liver, Gastroenterology and Pancreaticobiliary Sciences of the hospital.

But he said the general public do not have to worry about it as it is a “ very rare” case. “Out of the about 2.6 crore cases of COVID-19 in the country, there has been no other reported case where there was perforation in the lower end of the food pipe, upper part of the small intestine and the large intestine,” Dr. Arora added.

All the perforations have been repaired and the woman is still in the ICU, but recovering, according to the hospital.

The woman was admitted to the SGRH on May 13 with complaints of severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and constipation.

“Surgery revealed perforation in the lower end of the oesophagus [food pipe]. A part of the small intestine had developed gangrene and sloughed off and she had multiple thinned out patches in the wall of the colon with one small leak. The perforations were closed and the gangrenous segment was resected in a difficult surgery lasting for four hours, after which a piece of intestine was sent for biopsy,” said Dr. Samiran Nundy.

However, five days later she had to undergo a second surgery for a small leak from the anastomotic site from which she is now recovering.

“White fungus is there in everybody’s body and usually it is a silent fungus, which doesn’t harm people and mostly remains in the mouth and gut,” the hospital spokesperson said.

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