Assessment of Pulmonary Function Tests in COVID-19 Convalescents Six Months after Infection

Abstract

Background: The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the pulmonary function tests (PFT) in COVID-19 convalescents six months after recovery. Additionally, the research question was whether PFT should be performed routinely in post-COVID-19 patients. Methods: A total of 39 patients with a history of COVID-19 6 months prior to the study were included in the study (Group I). Individuals were hospitalized or treated in the outpatients department. The control group (Group II) consisted of 39 healthy patients without a COVID-19 history. Each subject completed a questionnaire interview and underwent laboratory and pulmonary function examinations. Results: Six months after COVID-19 recovery, patients mainly complained about cough (46%, n = 18), shortness of breath (23%, n = 9), weakness (13%, n = 5), and memory/concentration disorders (8%, n = 3). In the group of patients complaining of persistent cough present 6 months after COVID-19, the following PFT parameters were decreased: FEV1, FVC, FRC, TLC, and DLCO (p < 0.05) in comparison with patients without this symptom. Conclusions: Persistent shortness of breath is not necessarily associated with pulmonary function impairment in patients 6 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and hence it requires appropriate differential diagnosis. Patients with a cough persisting 6 months after the acute phase of COVID-19 may benefit from PFT.

Pulmonary function 3–6 months after acute COVID-19: A systematic review and multicentre cohort study

“…Results of all included studies can be found in Table S1 . All studies included a population with a mean or median age between 47 and 66 years and most studies had an equal distribution of males and females.The majority of the studies were conducted in Europe (n = 26) [ [3] , [4] , [35] , [36] , [37] , [38] , [39] , [40] , [41] , [42] , [43] , [44] , [45] , [46] , [47] , [48] , [49] , [50] , [51] , [52] , [53] , [54] , [55] , [56] , [57] , [58] ],49,51,56,60,62,65,66,67,69,70,74,76,77,79,80,81,83,84], six were conducted in North America [ [59] , [60] , [61] , [62] , [63] , [64] ], four in South America [ [65] , [66] , [67] , [68] ] and eleven in Asia [ [16] , [17] , [69] , [70] , [71] , [72] , [73] , [74] , [75] , [76] , [77] ]. The population of the studies varied between 17 and 1733 with a mean of 177 participants.…”

Current Pathogenetic and Diagnostic Aspects of Dyspnea in Long Covid

“…According to many scientists, DLCO most often reflects disorders in the respiratory system during Long COVID. It has been confirmed that even one month after discharge from the hospital, a decrease in DLCO is the most common manifestation of pulmonary dysfunction in people who have contracted it [7,28,29,30].…”

“…The prevalence of pulmonary symptoms is confirmed in other works. K. Guziejko [7] and others indicate that even six months after recovery, 46% of people have a cough, 23% complain of shortness of breath, and 13% have rapid fatigue as the main symptom. According to Jose-Ramon Blanko [8] et al, symptoms of respiratory dysfunction are observed in patients three months, six months and 12 months after acute infection.…”

“…На думку багатьох вчених, саме DLCO найчастіше віддзеркалює порушення у дихальній системі при Long COVID. Підтверджено, що в осіб, які ним перехворіли, навіть через 1 місяць після виписки з лікарні, зниження DLCO є найпоширенішим проявом порушенням функції легень [7,28,29,30].…”

Impact of Symptomatology, Clinical and Radiological Severity of COVID-19 on Pulmonary Function Test Results and Functional Capacity during Follow-Up among Survivors

“…According to recently published studies, the most common symptoms that persist after COVID-19 include general weakness, shortness of breath and cough. Relatively often, patients also report memory and concentration difficulties and palpitations [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ].…”