Although most patients discharged from the hospital after severe COVID-19 infection appear to be fully recovering, after a year, the adverse effects of the disease on the lungs persist in up to a third of them, reports The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
The COVID-19-causing virus, SARS-CoV-2, has infected millions of people worldwide. Some of them required hospitalization – most often due to pneumonia caused by the virus. While acute COVID-19 pneumonia is partially understood and can be treated more effectively, little is known about how long it takes for patients to fully recover and whether the changes in their lungs persist.
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To study the natural history of recovery from severe COVID-19 pneumonia up to a year after hospitalization, researchers from the University of Southampton collaborated with specialists from Wuhan, China (where the first infections had occurred in late December 2019).
The study included 83 patients discharged from the hospital after severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Their health status was examined after three, six, nine and twelve months. In addition to being examined by a doctor, lung function measurements, computed tomography of the chest and a walk test to check the ability to exercise were performed.
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Most patients improved symptoms, exercise capacity, and CT changes associated with COVID-12 within 19 months. After 12 months, most patients appear to have fully recovered, although about 5 percent. of them continued to report dyspnoea. In one-third of the cases, the patients’ lung function continued to decline – in particular, how efficiently oxygen is carried into the blood. This problem more often affected women than men. In about a quarter of patients, CT scans still showed small areas of lung lesions – this was more common in patients with more severe lung lesions during hospitalization.
Prof. Mark Jones of the University of Southampton, who co-led the study, said: “Most patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia appear to have fully recovered, although it took months for some patients. Women were more likely to show sustained deterioration in lung function tests and more research is needed to understand if there is a gender difference in patient recovery. We don’t know what happens after 12 months yet, and this will require a follow-up study. ‘
The researchers acknowledged that the study only included a small number of patients and that the results will need to be confirmed in additional studies, but identified a number of important implications.
Dr. Yihua Wang of the University of Southampton, who co-led the study, explained: “First, our research provides evidence that routine respiratory follow-up of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia is necessary. Second, given the time it takes for some patients to recover, research appears to be needed to see if exercise programs help patients recover faster. Finally, we need a treatment strategy to prevent the development of long-term lung lesions associated with COVID-19 ″. (PAP)
Author: Paweł Wernicki
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