Abstract
Purpose: To report a case of acute corneal endothelial graft rejection with the concurrent onset of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms. Methods: Case report. Results: A 31-year-old African American woman with a history of asthma, sleep apnea, obesity (body mass index of 40), and bilateral keratoconus was noted to have acute corneal endothelial graft rejection 3 months after uncomplicated penetrating keratoplasty of the left eye. The patient developed dysgeusia and subjective fever on the same day as ocular discomfort, and she was subsequently diagnosed with COVID-19 with only these 2 classic symptoms of the viral infection. Conclusions: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is known to cause conjunctivitis and has demonstrated transmissibility through ocular secretions. Acute immune and inflammatory dysregulations have been seen in cases of COVID-19 through various mechanisms. COVID-19 infection may potentially compromise ocular immune privilege contributing to acute corneal graft rejection.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 123-124 |
Number of pages | 2 |
Journal | Cornea |
Volume | 40 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2021 |
Keywords
- COVID-19
- SARS-CoV-2
- acute graft rejection
- corneal graft rejection
- coronavirus
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ophthalmology