Presence of mediastinal lymphadenopathy in hospitalized Covid-19 patients in a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan–A cross-sectional study

<h4>Background</h4> The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of mediastinal lymphadenopathy in hospitalized Covid-19 patients in a tertiary care hospital in the metropolitan city of Lahore, Pakistan from September 2020 till July 2021. <h4>Methods</h4> We retrospe...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Faryal S. Bhatti, Amyn A. Malik, Adeel A. Malik
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2023-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10212126/?tool=EBI
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Summary:<h4>Background</h4> The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of mediastinal lymphadenopathy in hospitalized Covid-19 patients in a tertiary care hospital in the metropolitan city of Lahore, Pakistan from September 2020 till July 2021. <h4>Methods</h4> We retrospectively collected data of Covid-19 patients hospitalized from September 2020 till July 2021. Only those patients who tested PCR positive through a nasopharyngeal swab, were enrolled in the study. Patients’ whose data were missing were excluded from this study. Our exclusion criteria included patients who tested negative on Covid-19 PCR, patients with comorbidities that may cause enlarged mediastinal lymphadenopathies such as haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, neoplasia, tuberculosis, sarcoidosis or a systemic disease. The extent of lung involvement in Covid-19 patients was quantified by using a 25-point visual quantitative assessment called the Chest Computed Tomography Score. This score was then correlated with the presence of mediastinal lymphadenopathy. <h4>Findings</h4> Of the 210 hospitalized patients included in the study, 131 (62.4%) had mediastinal lymphadenopathy. The mean and median Severity Score of Covid-19 patients with mediastinal lymphadenopathy (mean: 17.1, SD:5.7; median: 17, IQR: 13–23) were higher as compared to those without mediastinal lymphadenopathy (mean: 12.3, SD:5.4; median: 12, IQR:9–16) <h4>Interpretation</h4> Our study documents a high prevalence of mediastinal lymphadenopathy in hospitalized patients with Covid-19 with the severity score being higher in its presence representing a more severe course of disease.
ISSN:1932-6203