Medical Case Reports

As the world gradually moves forward from the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are reminded that the battle is not yet over.  Otari Gogiberidze (July 14, 1971 - September 8, 2023), a renowned plastic surgeon, faced the grim reality of COVID-19 in February 2023. Little did he know that the virus would cast a long shadow over his life. Battling for months with heart complications stemming from long COVID, his fight came to an end on September 8, 2023, when he succumbed to cardiac arrest at the age of 52. Maria das Dores Braga Nunes  (4 April 1941 – 8 September 2023) was a distinguished Brazilian lawyer and politician. Throughout her career, she was associated with various political parties, and she served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 1995 to 1999. Additionally, she held the position of mayor in Gurupi. Tragically, on September 8, 2023, at the age of 82, Maria das Dores Braga Nunes lost her life to COVID-19 in Palmas, Tocantins. Her battle with the virus spanned

A 55-year-old woman with a long history of chronic migraines saw her symptoms worsen after getting a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. Normally, her migraines were manageable with topiramate and sertraline. Despite medication adjustments, her pain escalated, scoring a 9 on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The underlying mechanisms of how SARS-CoV-2 impacts the nervous system remain unclear. Research suggests that the virus can invade the nervous system and trigger headaches by causing inflammation and vascular changes. Headache and loss of smell (anosmia) are thought to be linked to this direct neural invasion. Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is key in migraine pathophysiology, involved in pain transmission and inflammation. Elevated levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a), common in COVID-19, also increase CGRP, influencing symptoms like cough, fever, and pain. Studies have found structural similarities between CGRP receptors and SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins, sug

In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, reactivation and reinfection were considered rare. However, as the pandemic progressed, records for the length of infection and number of reinfections began to break. By October 2020, there were five cases of reinfection  with more severe second cases. By the end of 2021, prolonged positive tests were observed, such as a man in Bristol who remained SARS-CoV-2  positive for 290 days . A case report published in May 2023 (aren't academic reports obsolete by the time they are finally published?) asked " Is it possible to get Covid infection 3 times? " in the title. Now this question is rhetorical. In a recent  Malawi study , the risk of reinfection was highest in the immediate 3 to 6 months following the initial infection and declined substantially after that, and age demonstrated a significant association with reinfection. In  Southern Brazil , comparative genomic and phylogenetic analysis confirmed that the fourth reinfection w

A recent study found significant destruction in ribosomal RNA structures after vaccination, a phenomenon that was enhanced by serial shots. This destruction led to massive inhibition of translation and transcription, affecting intra/inter neural signaling transfer and lipid metabolism. These processes are related to the aging process, and the destruction was identified even six months after vaccination. The cases described in cited papers include: 82-year-old female with colorectal cancer in remission: Complications of vaccination: abdominal pain, appetite loss, constipation, anemia, anorexia. Cancer relapsed after vaccination, leading to her death (patient 6 in Tanaka et al, 2022 : Archives of Clinical and Biomedical Research) 85-year-old female with esophageal cancer in remission: Complications of vaccination: dysphasia.  Cancer relapsed after vaccination, along with suspected microembolus in the brain, causing symptoms of memory loss, hoarseness, and dysphagia, leading to her death.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, is showing no signs of disappearing. In fact, the scientific community is in broad agreement that it is likely to remain a persistent part of our global health landscape for the foreseeable future. Just yesterday, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin tested positive for COVID-19 , a third time in the last 12 months. While new COVID-19 hospital admissions are at their lowest levels  - with fewer than two people per 100,000 being admitted - and continue to decrease, SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread. Unfortunately, as hospitalizations decrease, test positivity rates have begun to rise, indicating continued community transmission (see orange curve in the plot below). Historically, coronaviruses were relegated to the sidelines of viral research throughout the '80s and '90s. They were viewed as minor players because the common colds they caused seemed relatively insignificant on the grand scale of human health. However, in 2020, with the emergence of

A person of unidentified gender and age received the second dose of the mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 (Comirnaty®) against COVID-19. The patient experienced acute complications such as myocarditis and exacerbation of bronchial asthma, as well as long-term complications such as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). The treatment for the patient included various medications, regimen measures, pharmacotherapy and several nutraceuticals. The pharmacotherapies included metoprolol, ivabradine, corticosteroids, antihistamines, antiphlogistics, and bronchodilators. The nutraceuticals used were maritime pine bark extract, quercetin, vitamins, magnesium, and phosphatidylcholine.  There were no corresponding acute changes seen in the T1 and T2 maps, which are used to assess tissue characteristics. Handwritten note describes polymorphic patient complaints during 24-hour monitoring EKG (Department of Functional Diagnostics, UN - St. Michael's Hospital, a. s.; 29.9.2021) The patient's co