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Preliminary results of research on the long-term effects of COVID-19 were presented at the press conference preceding the international congress of the European Society for Respiratory Diseases (ERS). Although this research has not yet been scientifically verified, it shows that some patients experienced lung and heart damage and shortness of breath 12 weeks after leaving the hospital.
- Austrian studies indicate the occurrence of damage to the lungs and heart of convalescents even 12 weeks after leaving the hospital
- French studies describe post-traumatic stress disorder after intubation
- Respiratory rehabilitation accelerates recovery
Two preliminary research reports on severe coronavirus infections were presented at the ERS congress. Researchers looked at the permanent lung damage and the psychological effects of COVID-19. To date, only abstracts of both studies have been published. However, preliminary results already shed new light on the long-term effects of COVID-19.
“The bad news is that we see lung dysfunction even weeks after patients are discharged from the hospital.” There is also good news. Their condition improves over time, suggesting that the lungs have a self-repairing mechanism, says Sabina Sahanic, a PhD student at the University of Innsbruck, who is involved in one of the studies.
Persistent breathlessness
The Sahanic study included 86 severe COVID-19 patients who were sick between April and June. All were examined for the first time six weeks after leaving the hospital, and the second time after 12 weeks.
The diagnostics included: clinical examination, laboratory tests, pulmonary function analysis, chest computed tomography and cardiac echocardiogram. A third round of tests is planned 24 weeks after discharge.
Sahanic and her colleagues found that, six weeks after the end of hospitalization, 65,9 percent. patients showed symptoms of COVID-19. The most common were shortness of breath and cough.
– In half of the respondents, dyspnea persisted for six weeks after leaving the hospital. There was a slight improvement by the time of the next examination, Sahanic said. – As for the results of computed tomography, during the first one, we detected pathological changes in the lungs in about 88% of patients. patients. The second showed them only in 56 percent.
Scientists have noticed left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in some patients. It means the inability to fill normally. Lung function abnormalities also appeared.
– People who have had COVID-19 show persistent lung impairment for several weeks after recovery. However, there is a moderate improvement over time, Sahanic said.
Although the preliminary results of the Austrian study have been made public, they have not yet been reviewed and published in a medical journal. You can also see that they have some limitations. First, a small number of patients were diagnosed and, in addition, many of them had smoked in the past. Therefore, more research would be needed to see if similar results would emerge for a larger and more diverse group.
A shorter path to health thanks to pulmonary rehabilitation
Another study qualified for the ERS congress found that 19 patients with severe COVID-19 who underwent pulmonary rehabilitation early in their recovery had improved lung function, muscle strength and reduced fatigue. In some, the risk of depression and anxiety has been reduced.
– Patients who spent less time in bed attending pulmonary rehabilitation recovered faster, say French doctors.
At the same time, their research shows that the patients did not fully regain the ability to walk. There has also been no improvement in symptoms of COVID-19 induced post-traumatic stress disorder.
“Some patients suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder after intubation, and there was no improvement after rehabilitation,” said Yara Al Chikhanie, a PhD student at the Dieulefit Santé pulmonary rehabilitation clinic in France. – One patient was plagued by memories. She had nightmares and a rapid heart rate as she thought about intubation and hospitalization. She remembered nothing but the urge to stop intubation.
There are also limitations in the case of French studies. More patients need to be involved and the results published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
Summarizing: “Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is anecdotal evidence that many patients suffer from the devastating long-term effects of the coronavirus,” said Thierry Troosters, president of the ERS.
The Austrian studies are important because they are one of the first comprehensive analyzes to show the serious, long-term effects of COVID-19 on the lungs and heart. It is puzzling that more than half of the respondents showed lung and heart damage even 12 weeks after discharge from the hospital, and almost 40% suffered from shortness of breath – added Troosters. Al Chikhanie’s research complements this information and shows how important it is for patients to begin pulmonary rehabilitation as soon as they are physically fit.
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