Long-term effects of COVID-19 on lungs and the clinical relevance: a 6-month prospective cohort study

Tuncer G., Geyiktepe-Guclu C., Surme S., Canel-Karakus E., Erdogan H., Bayramlar O. F., ...More

Future Microbiology, vol.18, no.4, pp.185-198, 2023 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 18 Issue: 4
  • Publication Date: 2023
  • Doi Number: 10.2217/fmb-2022-0121
  • Journal Name: Future Microbiology
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, CAB Abstracts, Chemical Abstracts Core, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Veterinary Science Database
  • Page Numbers: pp.185-198
  • Keywords: chest CT, COVID-19, follow-up, pulmonary function, residual disease
  • Istanbul University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Background: We aimed to explore the prevalence of prolonged symptoms, pulmonary impairments and residual disease on chest tomography (CT) in COVID-19 patients at 6 months after acute illness. Methods: In this prospective, single-center study, hospitalized patients with radiologically and laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were included. Results: A high proportion of the 116 patients reported persistent symptoms (n = 54; 46.6%). On follow-up CT, 33 patients (28.4%) demonstrated residual disease. Multivariate analyses revealed that only neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was an independent predictor for residual disease. Conclusion: Hospitalized patients with mild/moderate COVID-19 still had persistent symptoms and were prone to develop long-term pulmonary sequelae on chest CT. However, it did not have a significant effect on long-term pulmonary functions.