Co-occurrence of CML Blast Crisis and Severe COVID 19 Infection: A Case Report

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) affecting multiple organ systems. It can cause severe cytokine storms leading to intensive care unit admission requiring mechanical ventilation. However, there have been few studies establishing the outcomes of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients on tyrosine kinase inhibitors who are infected with COVID-19. We present a 69-year-old male with a history of CML on imatinib therapy with COVID-19 who developed acute respiratory distress syndrome needing mechanical ventilatory support, shock requiring vasopressors, and worse outcome secondary to blast crisis.