Intensive care medicine

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak

Radiological weapon

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)

Outbreak

Pulmonary function testing

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Radiology

Lung function

Infectious disease (medical specialty)

Internal medicine

Prospective cohort study

Diffusing capacity

Respiratory system

Medicine

Disease

Lung

DLCO

Pathology

Thorax

The long-term respiratory morbidity of COVID-19 remains unclear. We describe the clinical, radiological and pulmonary function abnormalities that persist in previously hospitalised patients assessed 12 weeks after COVID-19 symptom onset, and identify clinical predictors of respiratory outcomes. At least one pulmonary function variable was abnormal in 58% of patients and 88% had abnormal imaging on chest CT. There was strong association between days on oxygen supplementation during the acute phase of COVID-19 and both DLCO-% (diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide) predicted and total CT score. These findings highlight the need to develop treatment strategies and the importance of long-term respiratory follow-up after hospitalisation for COVID-19.

A prospective study of 12-week respiratory outcomes in COVID-19-related hospitalisations