Written By: Satata Karmakar | Updated : July 29, 2021 11:45 AM IST
Unusual Post-COVID Complication: Man Develops Rare Skin Infection After Recovery, Know Everything About It
Coronavirus can severely damage your respiratory organs and can also affect your heart. But have you ever thought about what else it can do to your body? In a rare case, a 28-year-old man developed orbital cellulitis one of the rarest forms of severe skin infections which is generally found near the eye area. This rare condition is also known as sinusitis. According to medical experts, sinusitis related to Covid-19 may be a source of facial infection and this can also lead to permanent paralysis of certain organs of the body.
According to the reports, a few weeks before being presented to the craniofacial surgery department, the patient had developed mild illness with fatigue and loss of smell and taste. The doctors added that the patient didn't seek any type of medical care until he developed a headache and swelling around the eye, and loss of smell, which got progressively worse.
Speaking to the media, the doctors also stated that the patient was diagnosed with Covid-19 and sinusitis. However, despite antibiotics and other treatments for sinusitis, the facial pain and swelling worsened -- even as the patient's Covid-19 symptoms improved. "When Carvalho's department saw him, the patient's eye was swollen and tightly shut. A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a fluid collection that was putting pressure on the globe (eyeball), which was fortunately not yet damaged," a doctor was quoted as saying.
Initial reports suggested that the man's CT scan had found no evidence of pneumonia or other respiratory involvement from Covid-19. However, it was only later when he was diagnosed with a rare form of facial infection. Here's everything you need to know about the disease and its complications.
The patient was diagnosed with cellulitis -- severe infection under the skin -- which was thought to have spread from the sinuses to the orbital area. Because of the danger to the eye, Carvalho and colleagues performed urgent surgery, using a small incision to drain the collection of fluid and pus.
However, the swelling around the eye decreased immediately after the procedure. Speaking to the media, the doctors said, "The patient remained in the hospital for several days, including treatment with intravenous antibiotics. A few weeks later, his pain and swelling had resolved and the eye was functioning normally."
A study has revealed that sinus infection and orbital cellulitis are "atypical conditions" associated with Covid-19. Sinusitis is known to be an important cause of infections spreading to the orbital area. "It is not clear whether SARS-CoV-2 itself is a contributing factor to the pathogenesis [development] in these cases," Carvalho said. The recent findings suggest that Covid-19 may contribute to sinus infection with the potential to spread to the area around the eye - even in an otherwise healthy young patient with mild Covid-19 symptoms. Whatever the course of the infection, the researchers emphasize the need for early surgery in patients with severe, vision-threatening orbital cellulitis.
Are you suffering from COVID-19? Here are some of the symptoms of Sinusitis that you should look out for to start the treatment as early as possible.
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