Abstract
Background: Immunization against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) began in January 2021 in Iran; nonetheless, due to a lack of vaccination among children under 12, this age group is still at risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and its complications.
Case presentation: SARS-CoV-2 infection was diagnosed in a 6-year-old girl who had previously been healthy but had developed a fever and pancytopenia. The bone marrow aspiration/biopsy demonstrated just hypocellular marrow without signs of leukemia. She was worked up for primary and secondary causes of pancytopenia. Except for a repeated reactive HIV antibody/Ag P24 assay, all test results were inconclusive. After a thorough diagnostic investigation, the cross-reactivity of the HIV antibody/Ag P24 test with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was confirmed. The patient did not develop any COVID-19-related signs and symptoms, but she did get a severe invasive fungal infection and neutropenic enterocolitis. She died as a result of disseminated intravascular coagulopathy.
Conclusion: It is critical to recognize children infected with SARS-CoV-2 who exhibit atypical clinical manifestations of COVID-19, such as persistent pancytopenia. SARS-CoV-2 infection can cause severe and deadly consequences in children; thus, pediatricians should be aware of COVID-19’s unusual signs and symptoms mimicking other conditions such as aplastic anemia.
Keywords: Aplastic anemia; Bone marrow-induced aplasia; Pancytopenia; Prognosis; SARS-CoV-2 infection.
【저자키워드】 Prognosis, SARS-CoV-2 infection., Aplastic anemia, Bone marrow-induced aplasia, Pancytopenia, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, coronavirus disease, HIV, Anemia, vaccination, SARS-COV-2 infection, children, risk, Symptom, Symptoms, Bone marrow, cross-reactivity, SARS-CoV-2 antibody, Fever, Patient, Disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, complications, age, Critical, leukemia, bone, Atypical, Fungal infection, clinical manifestation, Inconclusive, repeated, consequence, invasive, reactive, lack, develop, died, healthy, diagnosed, condition, recognize, demonstrated, cause, mimicking, diagnostic investigation, infected with SARS-CoV-2, 【제목키워드】 Bone marrow, Fungal infection, invasive,