Evaluation of pulmonary function in post-COVID-19 patients

Abstract

<b>Introduction:</b> Changes in the lungs caused by COVID-19 can lead to impaired lung function. Recent recommendations suggest that only patients with severe COVID-19 should be referred for pulmonary function evaluation (PFT) 12 weeks after completion of treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate PFT in both moderate and severe COVID-19 patients in the recommended period. <b>Methods:</b> PFT was performed in 66 patients with no prior respiratory disease 3 months after COVID-19, analyzing the forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC ratio, and the diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO).&nbsp;Statistical analysis was done with the null hypothesis tested at p&lt;0.05. <b>Results:</b> The study included 66 patients (45 males,&nbsp;21 females) of mean age 56.1±11 years (30-75 years), with 28 patients (42.4%) after severe COVID-19. The average values&nbsp;of PFT parameters are: FVC% 85.6±17.1 (52.1-124.9), FEV1% 88.2±17.6 (48.4-121.7), FEV1/FEV% 83.3±6.8 (64.3-97.3), DLCO% 72.6±19.1 (37-122). Reduced FVC was found in 13&nbsp;patients (19.7%), while&nbsp;3 patients (4.5%) had reduced FEV1/FVC values. DLCO was reduced in&nbsp;25 patients (37.9%), but did not differ statistically significantly in relation to the severity of the disease (p&gt;0.05). <b>Conclusion:</b> A significant number of patients had reduced diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide, although without statistically significant difference in relation to the disease severity. We conclude that the evaluation of pulmonary function is also important in patients after moderate COVID-19.