Lung Function and Symptoms in Post–COVID-19 Patients

• Main Authors: Nicola Mumoli, MD, Aldo Bonaventura, MD, PhD, Alessandra Colombo, MD, Alessandra Vecchié, MD, Marco Cei, MD, José Vitale, MD, Luca Pavan, MD, Antonino Mazzone, MD, Francesco Dentali, MD
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2021-10-01
• Series: Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2542454821001211

Objective: To address the lack of information about clinical sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Patients and Methods: Previously hospitalized COVID-19 patients who were attending the outpatient clinic for post–COVID-19 patients (ASST Ovest Milanese, Magenta, Italy) were included in this retrospective study. They underwent blood draw for complete blood count, C-reactive protein, ferritin, D-dimer, and arterial blood gas analysis and chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scan. The primary endpoint was the assessment of blood gas exchanges after 3 months. Other endpoints included the assessment of symptoms and chest HRCT scan abnormalities and changes in inflammatory biomarkers after 3 months from hospital admission. Results: Eighty-eight patients (n = 65 men; 73.9%) were included. Admission arterial blood gas analysis showed hypoxia and hypocapnia and an arterial partial pressure of oxygen/fractional inspired oxygen ratio of 271.4 (interquartile range [IQR]: 238-304.7) mm Hg that greatly improved after 3 months (426.19 [IQR: 395.2-461.9] mm Hg, P<.001). Forty percent of patients were still hypocapnic after 3 months. Inflammatory biomarkers dramatically improved after 3 months from hospitalization. Fever, resting dyspnea, and cough were common at hospital admission and improved after 3 months, when dyspnea on exertion and arthralgias arose. On chest HRCT scan, more than half of individuals still presented with interstitial involvement after 3 months. Positive correlations between the interstitial pattern at 3 months and dyspnea on admission were found. C-reactive protein at admission was positively associated with the presence of interstitial involvement at follow-up. The persistence of cough was associated with presence of bronchiectasis and consolidation on follow-up chest HRCT scan. Conclusion: Whereas inflammatory biomarker levels normalized after 3 months, signs of lung damage persisted for a longer period. These findings support the need for implementing post–COVID-19 outpatient clinics to closely follow-up COVID-19 patients after hospitalization.