Successful treatment of suspected organizing pneumonia in a patient with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection: a case report

A 54-year-old man with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection was transferred to our hospital. We initiated anti-viral drugs and supportive care. The patient’s fever and chills disappeared 3 days after admission and the results of serial follow-up reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction testing for MERS-CoV was negative soon thereafter. He was discharged from the hospital 14 days after admission with no symptoms; however, he presented with a fever 7 days after discharge and was re-hospitalized. Chest radiographs showed newly developed consolidative opacity. His fever persisted for 3 days after commencing empirical antibiotics. Subsequent contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) of the chest showed focal patchy airspace consolidation and ground-glass opacities (GGOs) in a subpleural lesion of the right lower and left upper lobes, which was indicative of organizing pneumonia. We initiated empirical corticosteroid treatment for this illness, and his fever markedly subsided 1 day later. A chest radiograph showed improvement in the lung lesions, and he was discharged from the hospital 10 days after re-admission. The corticosteroid dose was gradually tapered over 2 months at the outpatient clinic, and a follow-up CT scan showed complete resolution of the consolidation and GGOs.