A Case of Deep Vein Thrombosis After Recovery From COVID-19 and Its Association With Elevated D-dimers

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 continues to be a devastating disease for the elderly population, especially in long-term care facilities, and it presents with varying clinical presentations. We have ample evidence that COVID-19 can predispose to deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) during an active infection. Still, very few cases of DVT have been reported after recovery from COVID-19.The imbalance of the coagulation cascade and the increased release of certain coagulation factors play an essential role in promoting hypercoagulability and vascular endothelial dysfunction. It leads to a rise in the level of fibrin degradation products, D-dimers, which can remain elevated for up to several weeks, even after recovery. It has been suggested that the risk of DVT occurring after recovering from COVID-19 remains high for up to three months.We report a case of a 77-year-old long-term care female resident at a nursing facility, ambulatory at baseline, who was noted to be COVID-19 positive upon routine facility-wide testing per department of health guidelines. She was asymptomatic during her 10-day quarantine period. D-dimer levels during routine labs were high (initial D-dimer level of 1.87 mg/L FEU {normal value: 0.19-0.52 mg/L FEU}), but the patient had no clinical signs and symptoms of DVT. Ultrasound of the bilateral legs was not performed due to low clinical suspicion. The patient received an enoxaparin DVT prophylaxis dose during the quarantine period. Follow-up D-dimer levels were done at frequent intervals after recovery, but D-dimer levels continued to remain elevated up till six weeks after her 10-day quarantine period ended. Based on previous experience with other long-term care residents who suffered from COVID-19, bilateral lower extremity ultrasound was performed, which showed bilateral DVT. Elevated D-dimer levels are a predictor of hypercoagulation complications in COVID-19. Patients with persistently elevated D-dimer levels after recovery from COVID-19 should be screened for thromboembolic complications, even if they are asymptomatic. DVT can occur up to three months post-recovery from COVID-19 infection.

Immune activation and immune-associated neurotoxicity in Long-COVID: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 82 studies comprising 58 cytokines/chemokines/growth factors

“…An acute phase response is a hallmark of LC, where inflammatory cytokines like interleukin-6 (IL-6) prompt the liver to increase CRP production (Almulla, Al-Hakeim et al 2023). Other conditions in LC, including autoimmunity (Almulla, Maes et al 2023), gut dysbiosis (Zhang, Zhou et al 2023), and thrombosis (Dasari, Banga et al 2022) may also trigger the production of CRP. CRP plays a role in compromising the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), through its action in enhancing vascular permeability, stimulating microglia, increasing oxidative stress, and enabling the infiltration of inflammatory cells and cytokines into the central nervous system, possibly resulting in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration (Kuhlmann, Librizzi et al 2009, Closhen, Bender et al 2010, Hsuchou, Kastin et al 2012).…”