No abstract

Sickle cell trait (SCT) is a benign condition that only rarely, under hypoxic conditions, may result in microvascular complications that are normally seen only in homozygous patients. In COVID-19, diffuse alveolar damage and endothelial activation contribute to tissue hypoxia. Studies comparing COVID-19 outcomes in patients with HbAS and normal haemoglobin have shown no differences between groups or greater mortality rate in the former group. 1,2 Here, we present a case of a 63-year-old man, mixed-race, married, resident of Salvador, Bahia-Brazil. He presented at a reference infectious disease hospital with flu-like symptoms, fever, odynophagia and fatigue that started seven days prior to admission and worsened over the previous 24 h, in association with lipothymia and dyspnoea. The patient had a history of arterial hypertension and used losartan. RT-PCR was positive for SARS-CoV-2. Chest radiographs, on the 2nd and 4th days following hospitalization, revealed ground-glass opac-