Author/Authors :
Poggiali, Erika Emergency Department - “Guglielmo da Saliceto” Hospital, Piacenza, Italy , Vercelli, Andrea Emergency Department - “Guglielmo da Saliceto” Hospital, Piacenza, Italy , Battista Vadacca, Giovanni Clinical Pathology Department - “Guglielmo da Saliceto” Hospital, Piacenza, Italy , Schiavo, Roberta Clinical Pathology Department - “Guglielmo da Saliceto” Hospital, Piacenza, Italy , Mazzoni, Silvana Emergency Department - “Guglielmo da Saliceto” Hospital, Piacenza, Italy , Mazzoni, Silvana Emergency Department - “Guglielmo da Saliceto” Hospital, Piacenza, Italy , Ioannilli, Eva Emergency Department - “Guglielmo da Saliceto” Hospital, Piacenza, Italy , Demichele, Elena Emergency Department - “Guglielmo da Saliceto” Hospital, Piacenza, Italy , Magnacavallo, Andrea Emergency Department - “Guglielmo da Saliceto” Hospital, Piacenza, Italy
Abstract :
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a systemic disease which can cause multiple organ failure and death primarly due to vascular endothelium injury. Severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is the main cause of death: its management and treatment should be tailored to the individual COVID-19 patient’s phenotype. Early diagnosis of COVID-19 is paramount for disease treatment and infection control. Naso-pharyngeal (NP) swab is commonly used as screening and diagnostic tool for COVID-19, but in some cases it can be resulted negative even in presence of clinical and epidemiological criteria, and typical radiologi-cal and laboratory findings of COVID-19, as we have observed. Here we report our experience in the first month of the Italian epidemic. We strongly recommend clinicians to maintain a high index of suspicion for COVID-19, regardless of the persistence negativity of NP swabs, and not to delay the initiation of therapy in presence of typical clinical, radiological and laboratory findings of COVID-19. (www.actabiomedica.it)
Keywords :
COVID-19 , nasopharyngeal swab , RT-PCR , serology , Italian epidemic
