Pneumomediastinum in COVID-19 Patients
Emerging infectious diseases, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), present a major threat to public health. In December 2019, a novel coronavirus referred to as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was identified as the causative agent of a respiratory syndrome named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Since then, the pandemic has escalated. The spectrum of COVID-19 presentations ranges from mild self-limited flulike illness to severe viral pneumonia leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome that can be potentially fatal. Within this c ontext, other complications from COVID-19 pneumonia are expected, such as pneumomediastinum. Reports of cases of spontaneous pneumomediastinum have increased due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. To date, 43 articles on COVID-19 and pneumomediastinum have been published in PubMed.1
