Eight months follow-up study on pulmonary function, lung radiographic, and related physiological characteristics in COVID-19 survivors

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 13854
• Main Authors: Zhang, Shengding, Bai, Wenxue, Yue, Junqing, Qin, Lu, Zhang, Cong, Xu, Shuyun, Liu, Xiansheng, Ni, Wang, Xie, Min
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group 05.07.2021; Nature Publishing Group UK; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Dosage; Glucocorticoids; Hospitalization; Inflammation; Interleukin 2 receptors; Interleukin 8; Physiology; Respiratory function; Risk factors; Tumor necrosis factor-α
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93191-y

Abstract To describe the long-term health outcomes of patients with COVID-19 and investigate the potential risk factors. Clinical data during hospitalization and at a mean (SD) day of 249 (15) days after discharge from 40 survivors with confirmed COVID-19 (including 25 severe cases) were collected and analyzed retrospectively. At follow-up, severe cases had higher incidences of persistent symptoms, DLCO impairment, and higher abnormal CT score as compared with mild cases. CT score at follow-up was positively correlated with age, LDH level, cumulative days of oxygen treatment, total dosage of glucocorticoids used, and CT peak score during hospitalization. DLCO% at follow-up was negatively correlated with cumulative days of oxygen treatment during hospitalization. DLCO/VA% at follow-up was positively correlated with BMI, and TNF-α level. Among the three groups categorized as survivors with normal DLCO, abnormal DLCO but normal DLCO/VA, and abnormal DLCO and DLCO/VA, survivors with abnormal DLCO and DLCO/VA had the lowest serum IL-2R, IL-8, and TNF-α level, while the survivors with abnormal DLCO but normal DLCO/VA had the highest levels of inflammatory cytokines during hospitalization. Altogether, COVID-19 had a greater long-term impact on the lung physiology of severe cases. The long-term radiological abnormality maybe relate to old age and the severity of COVID-19. Either absent or excess of inflammation during COVID-19 course would lead to the impairment of pulmonary diffusion function.