Autopsy findings in COVID-19 Infection

Authors

Keywords:

coronavirus, COVID-19, autopsia, síndrome de dificultad respiratoria aguda

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 pneumonia is a recently recognized disease that has spread rapidly throughout the world. The pathogenic foundations and histopathological changes caused by COVID-19 are not fully understood, which undermines the proper clinical identification of patients and the implementation of effective therapeutic strategies.
Objective: to describe the histopathological findings found at autopsy of confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Methods: evidence was collected by searching PubMed for English language publications, using the keywords: coronavirus, COVID-19, autopsy and acute respiratory distress syndrome in various combinations in 2020. Only five articles were found with information on the autopsy results of confirmed cases with COVID-19.
Results: since the start of the pandemic in December 2019, seven autopsy reports of confirmed cases with COVID-19 have been published, collected in 4 articles. All autopsies have agreed on the main finding: diffuse alveolar damage with hyaline membrane formation, which correlates with the clinical manifestations of acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Conclusions: COVID-19 mainly produces alveolar damage, which consists of pulmonary edema with hyaline membrane formation, which is clinically expressed as an acute respiratory distress syndrome.

DeCS: RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME, ADULT/complications; CORONAVIRUS INFECTIONS/pathology; PULMONARY EDEMA/etiology; HYALINE MEMBRANE DISEASE; AUTOPSY.

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References

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Published

2020-12-02

How to Cite

1.
Piamo-Morales AJ, García-Rojas M, García-Rojas M, Campo-Beroes O. Autopsy findings in COVID-19 Infection. Arch méd Camagüey [Internet]. 2020 Dec. 2 [cited 2025 Aug. 29];24(6):910-8. Available from: https://revistaamc.sld.cu/index.php/amc/article/view/7572

Issue

Vol. 24 No. 6 (2020)

Section

Review Articles

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