| Title | Inside the lungs of COVID-19 disease. | ||
| Author | Aguiar, Diego; Lobrinus, Johannes Alexander; Schibler, Manuel; Fracasso, Tony; Lardi, Christelle | ||
| Journal | Int J Legal Med | Publication Year/Month | 2020-Jul |
| PMID | 32458044 | PMCID | PMC7248187 |
| Affiliation + expend | 1.University Center of Legal Medicine (CURML), Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland. diego.aguiar@hcuge.ch. | ||
In the setting of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, only few data regarding lung pathology induced by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is available, especially without medical intervention interfering with the natural evolution of the disease. We present here the first case of forensic autopsy of a COVID-19 fatality occurring in a young woman, in the community. Diagnosis was made at necropsy and lung histology showed diffuse alveolar damage, edema, and interstitial pneumonia with a geographically heterogeneous pattern, mostly affecting the central part of the lungs. This death related to COVID-19 pathology highlights the heterogeneity and severity of central lung lesions after natural evolution of the disease.