Tomographic assessment of pulmonary abnormalities of Long COVID: a cohort study
Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 infection primarily affects the lungs leading to a range of tomographic findings, from ground-glass opacity to emphysema. However, studies on the long-term effects of the infection, known as Long COVID, are still limited. Therefore, this cohort aimed to identify pulmonary ab...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Permanyer
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of the Mexican Federation of Radiology and Imaging |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.jmexfri.com/frame_esp.php?id=56 |
| Summary: | Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 infection primarily affects the lungs leading to a range of tomographic findings, from ground-glass opacity to emphysema. However, studies on the long-term effects of the infection, known as Long COVID, are still limited. Therefore, this cohort aimed to identify pulmonary abnormalities in adult patients with Long COVID, assessed by chest computed tomography (CT) 6 to 30 months after the initial infection. Material and Methods: A cohort of patients from northern Mexico, diagnosed with COVID-19 in 2020-2021 using RT-PCR and undergoing a simple chest CT examination, was followed up for 6 to 30 months. Logistic regression was used to determine predictors of Long COVID. Results: A total of 67 patients were included. Pulmonary tomographic abnormalities at 6 to 30 months were interstitial thickening (n = 41, 61.2%), subpleural bands (n = 41, 61.2%), ground-glass opacity (n = 30, 44.8%), pleural thickening (n = 18, 26.9%), bronchiectasis (n = 13, 19.4%), lymphadenomegaly (n = 11, 16.4%), emphysema (n = 6, 9.0%), and consolidation (n = 2, 3.0%). Ground-glass opacity and fibrotic abnormalities decreased with increasing follow-up time: e.g., interstitial thickening from 6 to 11 months (84.6%), 12 to 18 (65.0%), and 19 to 30 months (50.0%). Hypertension was the most significant predictor of Long COVID. Conclusion: Our study showed a high prevalence of persistent pulmonary abnormal tomographic findings in patients with Long COVID, probably due to the high prevalence of hypertension and diabetes. Ground-glass opacity and fibrotic abnormalities were the most commonly observed findings, which showed a decreasing trend over time.
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| ISSN: | 2938-1215 2696-8444 |