Delhi hospital identifies 5 patients with Cytomegalovirus during 2nd wave

According to a report prepared by a group of senior doctors in Sir Ganga Ram hospital, these cases were detected during the second wave of Covid-19 in April-May. All the patients were otherwise Covid immunocompetent and experienced rectal bleeding and pain in the abdomen after about 20 to 30 days of testing positive for Covid-19.

Doctors said two patients had massive bleeding and one required emergency lifesaving surgery in the form of removal of right side of the colon. One of them succumbed due to massive bleeding and severe Covid chest disease.

"Other three patients were successfully treated with antiviral therapy with ganciclovir," said Dr Anil Arora, chairman of the Institute of Liver Gastroenterology and Pancreaticobiliary Sciences in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

In such cases, a high index of suspicion and timely diagnosis and effective antiviral therapy can save many precious lives, said another senior doctor Praveen Sharma.

The hospital claimed that Cytomegalovirus colitis was confirmed by PCR testing for CMV viremia and tissue biopsy from the large intestine which showed intranuclear inclusion bodies.

The report suggests that Covid infection and the treatment can be responsible for uncommon infections, one of which is Cytomegalovirus. "This virus exists in 80 to 90 per cent of the Indian population. However, it is unlikely for symptoms to show because physical immunity is strong enough to make it clinically asymptomatic," reports said.