Respiratory sequelae aftermath of SARS-COV2 pneumonia: a retrospective cohort study

Treball Final de Grau en Medicina. Codi: MD1158. Curs acadèmic: 2021/2022Introduction: Respiratory sequalae are a major concern after COVID-19 infection. The need for follow-up and study of COVID-19 patients is imperative to provide the best quality of care, and to design tailored programs for patients’ cardiopulmonary and psychological rehabilitation. We aim to assess and describe functional respiratory parameters, changes in chest CT at the 6-month follow-up and their correlation with sociodemographic variables and respiratory comorbidities. Study design and methods: This analytical retrospective cohort study evaluated discharged patients from Hospital General Universitario de Castellón (HGUCS) with COVID-19 infection or pneumonia diagnostic during the months from March to December 2020. We assessed respiratory sequalae with pulmonary function tests and chest CT at the 6-month follow-up. Results: Altogether, 35, aged 63.7±9.9 years, out of the 346 patients admitted to the Pneumology Service of the HGUCS were included in the study. Predominantly, they were male, overweight, and middle aged. At the 6-month follow-up 45.7% of patients had a DLCO< 80% and 51.4% presented with abnormal findings in CT scan. Discussion: The main variable that suggested an association with a worse course of the infection was BMI (p-value 0.07). Variables linked to higher incidence of respiratory sequalae were active/former smoking habit (log odds=2.46, p-value 0.06) and the severity of the infection (log odds=4.13, p-value 0.02). In conclusion, six months after hospital discharge, pulmonary abnormalities and functional impairment are highly prevalent in patients who survived COVID-19 infection. The implementation of a post-hospitalization follow-up program should be considered in patients who suffered a severe COVID-19 infection.Introducción: Las secuelas respiratorias son una importante preocupación tras la infección por COVID-19. El seguimiento y estudio de pacientes que han superado la enfermedad es imperativo para ofrecer la mejor calidad asistencial y programas de rehabilitación personalizados. En este estudio, evaluamos y describimos parámetros respiratorios funcionales, cambios en la TAC a los 6 meses y su posible correlación con variables sociodemográficas y comorbilidades respiratorias previas. Métodos y diseño: Este estudio de cohortes retrospectivo analítico evaluó pacientes del HGUCS diagnosticados de infección o neumonía por COVID-19 durante los meses de marzo a diciembre de 2020. Para valorar las secuelas respiratorias se realizaron pruebas de función pulmonar y TAC torácica 6 meses después del alta. Resultados: Se incluyeron en el estudio 35 pacientes, con media de edad de 63.7±9.9 años, de los 346 ingresados en el servicio de Neumología del HGUCS. Mayoritariamente eran hombres, con sobrepeso y de mediana edad. A los 6 meses, el 45.7% tenían una DLCO