Post COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis; a meta-analysis study

• Published in: Annals of medicine and surgery Vol. 77; p. 103590
• Main Authors: Hama Amin, Bnar J., Kakamad, Fahmi H., Ahmed, Gasha S., Ahmed, Shaho F., Abdulla, Berwn A., mohammed, Shvan H., Mikael, Tomas M., Salih, Rawezh Q., Ali, Razhan k., Salh, Abdulwahid M., Hussein, Dahat A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2022; Elsevier
• Subjects: COVID-19; Meta-analysis; Post-COVID; Prevalence; Pulmonary fibrosis; Systematic Review / Meta-analysis; COVID-19; Post-COVID; Pulmonary fibrosis; Prevalence; Meta-analysis
• ISSN: 2049-0801; 2049-0801
• DOI: 10.1016/j.amsu.2022.103590

Introduction; Pulmonary fibrosis is a frequently reported COVID-19 sequela in which the exact prevalence and risk factors are yet to be established. This meta-analysis aims to investigate the prevalence of post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis (PCPF) and the potential risk factors. Methods; CINAHL, PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases were searched to identify English language studies published up to December 3, 2021. Results; The systematic search initially revealed a total of 618 articles - of which only 13 studies reporting 2018 patients were included in this study. Among the patients, 1047 (51.9%) were male and 971 (48.1%) were female. The mean age was 54.5 years (15–94). The prevalence of PCPF was 44.9%. The mean age was 59 years in fibrotic patients and 48.5 years in non-fibrotic patients. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was the only comorbidity associated with PCPF. Fibrotic patients more commonly suffered from persistent symptoms of dyspnea, cough, chest pain, fatigue, and myalgia (p-value < 0.05). Factors related to COVID-19 severity that were associated with PCPF development included computed tomography score of ≥18, ICU admission, invasive/non-invasive mechanical ventilation, longer hospitalization period, and steroid, antibiotic and immunoglobulin treatments (p-value < 0.05). Parenchymal bands (284/341), ground-glass opacities (552/753), interlobular septal thickening (220/381), and consolidation (197/319) were the most common lung abnormalities found in fibrotic patients. Conclusion, About 44.9% of COVID-19 survivors appear to have developed pulmonary fibrosis. Factors related to COVID-19 severity were significantly associated with PCPF development. •Pulmonary fibrosis is a severe and frequently reported COVID-19 sequela.•Its prevalence in COVID-19 survivors and risk factors are yet to be established.•This meta-analysis aims to investigate the prevalence of post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis and the potential risk factors.