Covid complication: Gallbladder gangrene reported in 5 patients after recovery

The five patients include– four men and a woman, aged between 37 and 75.

According to Dr Anil Arora, Chairman of the Institute of Liver, Gastroenterology, and Pancreaticobiliary Sciences at the hospital, it is the first time that cases of the gallbladder have been reported after recovery from Covid-19 infection.

Arora said, “We successfully treated five such patients between June and August. After recovering from Covid-19, these patients presented with severe inflammation of gallbladder without gallstones resulting in gangrene of gallbladder requiring urgent surgery”.

As per the PTI news agency, gall bladder stone disease is a common problem in North India. The disease is responsible for 90% of cases of acute inflammation called cholecystitis. Only 10% of the patients have “acalculous cholecystitis” which is inflammation of the gallbladder without evidence of gallstones or cystic duct obstruction.

The five patients have been diagnosed with “acalculous cholecystitis”, the doctors confirmed through ultrasound and CT scan of the abdomen. Initially, the five patients complained of fever, pain in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen, and vomiting.

Among the five patients, two of them had diabetes, and one suffered from heart disease. Three patients took steroids to fight back Covid-19, Dr Arora informed.

However, all 5 patients successfully underwent laparoscopic removal of necrotic perforated gall bladders.

He added that “acalculous cholecystitis” with the gangrenous gallbladder is a serious condition associated with high morbidity (up to 30 to 60%) and much higher mortality than “calculous cholecystitis”.

According to Dr. Praveen Sharma, Senior Consultant, Gastroenterology Department, “A timely diagnosis and early intervention with broad-spectrum antibiotics may prevent the development of onerous complication of gangrene and perforation of the gallbladder”.