A 58-year-old man with no known comorbidities presented to our ED with complaints of fever for 12 days, shortness of breath, cough, and generalized fatigue for 10 days. According to the patient, he was in his usual state of health until 12 days ago, when he felt feverish but initially disregarded it, as his family was experiencing similar symptoms. His condition worsened after five days, leading him to contact his primary care physician, who ruled out COVID-19 and ordered a rapid strep test, which returned positive. He was subsequently prescribed antibiotics and benzonatate, but there was no improvement in his condition. After further assessment by his primary care physician, a chest X-ray revealed pneumonia, and he was advised to monitor his condition at home using a pulse oximeter. His oxygen saturation levels were marginal, dropping as low as 89% with movement but occasionally recovering to 95%. As his condition continued to worsen, he presented to the ED. Upon physical examination, the patient had a temperature of 98.4°F (36.9°C), a heart rate of 73 beats per minute, a respiratory rate of 18 breaths per minute, blood pressure of 156/80 mm Hg, and transcutaneous oxygen saturation of 96% without oxygen administration. He exhibited coarse breath sounds, and his skin was icteric. Additionally, his urine appeared black with a reddish tinge.
Routine blood tests revealed anemia, leukocytosis, thrombocytosis, reticulocytosis, and acute renal failure with a creatinine level of 6 mg/dl (see Table 1). An abnormal urinalysis was also noted (see Table 2). A computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest revealed extensive lingular and left lower lobe pulmonary infiltrates, suggestive of pneumonia (see Fig. 1). An abdominal ultrasound indicated a coarse liver texture with mild increased echogenicity. The patient was empirically treated with ceftriaxone, doxycycline, methylprednisolone, pantoprazole, fluticasone inhalations, and subcutaneous heparin. On the second day of admission, he experienced an episode of bloody diarrhea, and his complete blood count showed a hemoglobin level of 6.4 g/dL. He was subsequently transfused to maintain hemoglobin levels above 7 g/dL.
Table 1
Blood tests showing anemia, leukocytosis, thrombocytosis, reticulocytosis, and acute renal failure with a high creatinine level.
Complete blood count with differential |
WBC | 23.18×10^3/µl |
Hb | 11.0 g/dl |
Hematocrit | 31.8% |
Platelet count | 539×10^3/µl |
RBC | 3.35×10^6/µl |
MCV | 94.9 fL |
MCH | 32.8 pg |
MCHC | 34.6 g/dl |
nRBC % | 0.1/100 WBC |
Absolute nRBC | 0.02×10^3/µl |
Preliminary absolute neutrophil count | 17.45×10^3/µl |
Neutrophils | 75.3% |
Lymphocytes | 12.9% |
Monocytes | 5.9% |
Eosinophils | 0.6% |
Basophils | 0.5% |
Immature granulocytes | 4.8% |
Absolute neutrophils | 17.45×10^3/µl |
Lymphocytes absolute | 2.98×10^3/µl |
Absolute monocytes | 1.37×10^3/µl |
Absolute Eosinophils | 0.14×10^3/µl |
Absolute basophils | 0.12×10^3/µl |
Absolute immature granulocytes | 1.12×10^3/µl |
Reticulocyte count | 2.2% |
Automated absolute reticulocyte count | 0.0287×10^6/µl |
Immature retic fraction | 18.9% |
Comprehensive Metabolic Profile |
Glucose | 86 mg/dl |
BUN | 56 mg/dl |
Creatinine | 6.0 mg/dl |
Sodium | 134 mEq/l |
Potassium | 6 mEq/l |
Chloride | 105 mEq/l |
CO2 | 19 mEq/l |
Calcium | 8.7 mEq/l |
GFR | 10.2 ml/min/1.73 m^2 |
AST | 21 U/l |
ALT | 28 U/l |
ALP | 71 U/l |
Albumin | 3.3 g/dl |
Total protein | 6.3 g/dl |
Globulin | 3.0 g/dl |
Total bilirubin | 0.4 mg/dl |
Table 2
Showing an abnormal urinalysis.
Urinalysis |
Urine colour | red |
Urine clarity | Hazy |
Urine specific gravity | 1.016 |
Urine pH | 6.5 |
Urine leucocyte esterase | trace |
Urine nitrite | negative |
Urine protein | 2+ |
Urine Glucose | negative |
Urine urobilinogen | 4.0 mg/dl |
Urine bilirubin | negative |
Urine blood | large |
RBC | 0–2/hpf |
Urine WBC | 0–5/hpf |
Urine squamous epithelial cells | 0–5/hpf |
Further testing, including a Group A Streptococcus rapid antigen test, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase assay, mononucleosis screen, COVID-19 test, influenza test, urine Legionella antigen test, and hepatitis A, B, and C serology, all returned negative results. His haptoglobin levels were below 8 mg/dl, and the direct Coombs test was positive for the presence of non-specific cold antibodies. The respiratory panel confirmed the presence of Mycoplasma pneumonia. Complement levels were normal, and the workup for antinuclear antibodies returned negative results. He was ultimately diagnosed with Mycoplasma pneumonia complicated by hemolytic anemia and renal failure. His antibiotic regimen was changed to azithromycin. He was medically stabilized and discharged a week later on oral antibiotics.
The patient returned to the emergency room the same day after discharge, reporting dizziness and lightheadedness. Upon arrival, he was tachycardic, with a heart rate of 107 beats per minute, and hypotensive, with a systolic blood pressure of 86 mm Hg. He was saturating only 88% on 2 litres of nasal cannula oxygen. Laboratory results revealed a hemoglobin level of 6.0 g/dL, leukocytosis with a white blood cell count of 16.86 x 10^3/µL, a sodium level of 133 mEq/L, a procalcitonin level of 0.32 ng/mL, total bilirubin of 6.4 mg/dL, direct bilirubin of 2.1 mg/dL, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) of 32 mg/dL, creatinine of 1.4 mg/dL, a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 58.3 mL/min/1.73 m², and a D-dimer level of 29.03 µg/mL. Urinalysis indicated hemoglobinuria (see Table 3), and an ultrasound showed bilateral peroneal and soleus venous thrombosis. A CT angiogram of the chest revealed acute pulmonary embolism (PE) (see Fig. 2). He was started on heparin, and his hemoglobin and hematocrit were monitored closely. The infectious disease team recommended completing a two-week course of azithromycin. He was weaned off the nasal canula once stabilized, and his anticogualtion was changed to apixaban. He was discharged after four days of hospitalization with a prescription of apixaban 5 mg daily and advised to follow up in four days. During the follow-up visit, he reported feeling well.
Table 3
Urinalysis indicating hemoglobinuria.
Urinalysis |
Urine Color | Yellow |
Urine Clarity | Clear |
Urine Specific Gravity | 1.025 |
Urine pH | 6.0 |
Urine Leukocyte Esterase | Negative |
Urine Nitrite | Negative |
Urine Protein | 1+ |
Urine Glucose | 1+ |
Urine Ketones | Negative |
Urine Urobilinogen | 3.0 mg/dL |
Urine Bilirubin | Negative |
Urine Blood | Large |
RBC, UA | 3–5/hpf |
Urine WBC | 0–5/hpf |
Urine Squamous Epithelial Cells | 0–5/hpf |
Urine Mucus | Present |