Post-COVID complications are constantly being reported among recovered patients in Delhi. Now, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital has reported about 14 post-COVID patients who have been diagnosed with unusually large, multiple liver abscesses. One of the patients died due to bleeding in the abdomen, reported the authorities.

The hospital released a statement saying that over the past two months, they noted for the first time, unusually large and multiple liver abscesses in 14 patients after they recovered from COVID-19.

Among the patients are 10 men and 4 women, aged 28-74 years. The patients came to the hospital over the last two months with unusual manifestations. Eight of these patients had been given steroids during COVID treatment. Inadequate nutrition and use of steroids are being suspected to have resulted in the pus formation. Six patients developed multiple large abscesses in both lobes of liver, with five of them having unusually large abscess of over 8 cm. The largest one was 19 cm in size, stated a doctor.

Dr Anil Arora, Chairman of the Institute of Liver, Gastroenterology and Pancreaticobiliary Sciences at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said that it was unusual that within a span of 22 days of recovery, otherwise immunocompetent patients had large areas of both lobes of liver filled with pus at several locations, which required hospital admission.

All the patients had fever and upper abdominal pain and three of the patients also had gastrointestinal bleeding. Dr Arora said that three patients with blood during stool discharge had ulcers in the large intestine. Thirteen patients were successfully treated.

Dr Praveen Sharma, Senior Consultant, Gastroenterology, at the hospital stated that a high index of suspicion of such infections with fever and pain in right abdomen warrants early diagnosis.

Source: The New Indian Express