Respiratory function and CT abnormalities among survivors of COVID-19 pneumonia : a nationwide follow-up study

• Published in: BMJ Open Respiratory Research
• Main Authors: Axelsson, Gísli Þór, Halldorsson, Arnljotur Bjorn, Jónsson, Helgi, Eyþórsson, Elías Sæbjörn, Sigurðardóttir, Erla Sigríður, Harðardóttir, Hrönn, Guðmundsson, Gunnar, Hansdóttir, Sif
• Other Authors: Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies, Faculty of Medicine, Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: Gigtarlæknisfræði; Lungnalæknisfræði; COVID-19; Imaging/CT MRI etc; Respiratory Measurement; Acute Disease; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Survivors; Tomography; X-Ray Computed; Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine; Iceland
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/3529; https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjresp-2022-001347

Publisher Copyright: © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. Funding Information: GTA is funded by the Eimskip University Fund. GG is funded by the Landspitali Scientific Fund A-2020-018, A-2020-017 and A-2021-018 as well as the University of Iceland Research Fund 2022. Publisher Copyright: © © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. INTRODUCTION: Considering the pulmonary burden caused by acute COVID-19, questions remain of respiratory consequences after recovery. The aim of the study was to describe respiratory function of COVID-19 pneumonia survivors at mid-term follow-up (median 68 days) and assess whether impairments were predicted by acute illness severity or residual CT abnormalities. METHODS: Residents of Iceland that had COVID-19 and oxygen saturation ≤94% from 28 February 2020 to 30 April 2021 were offered a clinical follow-up visit with an interview, a 6 min walk test (6MWT), spirometry with gas exchange measurement and chest CT. The results of these examinations were described, grouped by the level of care during acute illness. The associations of disease severity and CT abnormalities at follow-up with subjective dyspnoea, 6MWT results and lung function test results were estimated with regression analyses. RESULTS: Of 190 eligible patients, 164 (86%) participated in the study. Of those, 32 had never been admitted to hospital, 103 were admitted to hospital without intensive care and 29 had required intensive care. At a follow-up, need for intensive care during acute illness was associated with shorter walking distance on 6MWT, lower oxygen saturation and lower DLCO. Imaging abnormalities at follow-up were observed for most participants (74%) and the magnitude of ...