“Although many people experience shortness of breath for a long time, the main implication of these findings is that a significant number of people discharged from a COVID hospital may also have fibrotic abnormalities in their lungs. These results should help focus efforts to closely monitor at-risk patients. should include radiological imaging and pulmonary function testing,” said corresponding author Iain Stewart, PhD, lead researcher (Rayne Foundation), Margaret Turner Warwick Center for Fibrosing Lung Disease, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London.
He added: “For some people, these fibrotic patterns may be stable or resolve, while for others, they may lead to longer-term progression of pulmonary fibrosis, poorer quality of life and reduced life expectancy. Early detection of progression is important to improve outcomes. ”
Advertising
The UK Interstitial Lung Disease (UKILD) study was carried out in collaboration with the PHOSP (post-hospitalisation)-COVID study, involving researchers and clinicians from across the UK to investigate how different patients who were subsequently hospitalized with COVID-19 fared. recovered. In the UKILD COVID study PHOSP-COVID, patients with interstitial lung disease prior to a COVID-related hospital admission were excluded.
Interim study participants were discharged by the end of March 2021, and interim data were collected through October 2021, limiting the analysis to 240 days after discharge. The researchers identified patients with thoracic CTs from the PHOSP-COVID database. The main outcome they sought to determine was the prevalence of residual lung abnormalities in people discharged from the hospital with COVID-19. Analyzes were performed to identify risk factors for residual lung abnormalities in participants who did not receive a CT scan. These risks were used to estimate the prevalence in the general population hospitalized by the end of March 2021.
According to the authors, “The UKILD Post-COVID interim analysis of residual lung abnormalities in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 offers the largest prevalence estimate to date in hospitalized individuals and is consistent with the results of a number of small studies that have demonstrated the persistence of radiological patterns and the prevalence of COVID-19 patients.” impaired gas transfer during long-term follow-up. It is not possible to determine whether the residual pulmonary abnormalities seen at this interim analysis represent early interstitial lung disease with the potential for progression. It reflects pneumonitis that may be stable or resolve over time.”
“The next phase of the study is a preliminary analysis in 12 months. At that time we will also use linked electronic health records of hospital admissions and death data to support our analyses. We expect final results in early 2023.”
Source: Eurekalert
