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CC BY 4.0 · Rev Bras Ginecol Obstet 2021; 43(11): 862-869
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1736304
Review Article

Dyspnea and COVID-19: A Review of Confounding Diagnoses during the Postpartum Period

Dispneia e COVID-19: uma revisão de diagnósticos confundidores no período pós-parto
Clara Nunes Castro 
1   Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
,
Pedro Paulo Machado Lopes 
1   Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
,
Jussara Mayrink 
1   Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
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Abstract

The puerperium is a complex period that begins with placental delivery and lasts for 6 weeks, during which readaptation of the female organism and redistribution of blood volume occur. This period is conducive to the occurrence of thromboembolic events. In the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the virus responsible for COVID-19, the attention of the scientific community and health professionals has been focused on obtaining insights on different aspects of this disease, including etiology, transmission, diagnosis, and treatment. Regarding the pregnancy–postpartum cycle, it is opportune to review the clinical conditions that can occur during this period and to investigate dyspnea as a postpartum symptom in order to avoid its immediate association with COVID-19 without further investigation, which can lead to overlooking the diagnosis of other important and occasionally fatal conditions.

Resumo

O puerpério é um período complexo que se inicia com a dequitação placentária e dura por 6 semanas, no qual a readaptação do organismo materno e a redistribuição do volume sanguíneo ocorrem, além de ser também um cenário propício para eventos pró-trombóticos. No contexto da pandemia de SARS-CoV-2, vírus responsável pela COVID-19, a atenção da comunidade científica e dos profissionais da saúde está voltada a elucidar os aspectos da doença, como a etiologia, a transmissão, o diagnóstico e o tratamento. Considerando o ciclo gravídico-puerperal, é oportuna a revisão de condições clínicas que ocorrem durante este período e que apresentam a dispneia como sintoma, a fim de evitar que ela seja automaticamente associada à COVID-19 sem investigações aprofundadas, o que pode levar à negligência do diagnóstico de outras condições importantes e que podem ser, por vezes, fatais.

Keywords

dyspnea - postpartum period - puerperium - COVID-19 diagnosis

Palavras-chave

dispneia - pós-parto - puerpério - diagnóstico de COVID-19


Publication History

Received: 06 July 2020

Accepted: 30 August 2021

Article published online:
06 December 2021

© 2021. Federação Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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