Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic with DPLD: Insights from a Case Report for Healthcare Providers

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic brought significant challenges to global healthcare systems, particularly for individuals with underlying health conditions. This article reports a case of a 65-year-old man with a medical history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and diffuse parenchymal lung disease (DPLD), who succumbed to severe COVID-19 infection. He presented to the Medicine inpatient of a tertiary care hospital, with fever and extreme lethargy during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic early in 2021. Upon presentation, his oxygen saturation (SPO2) was 31%. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) chest findings revealed extensive ground glass opacity, and his nasal swabs tested positive for COVID-19 via reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). He was diagnosed with type 1 respiratory failure and was subsequently admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), where his condition rapidly deteriorated and he passed away.This case highlights the heightened vulnerability of individuals with pre-existing comorbidities to severe COVID-19 complications and thus intensifies the importance of early recognition and intervention in such high-risk populations.