Laboratory changes and parenchymal changes in computed tomography after COVID-19 pneumonia

Abstract

Aims: Novel coronavirus-2019 (2019-nCoV) has caused a global pandemic. Fort his reason, our study is to determine the variables of thorax tomography findings and laboratory data after covid 19 pneumonia in cases with severe covid 19 pneumonia and to detect the findings of possible interstitial lung diseases. Methods: In this single-center study, 61 consecutive patients were examined. These patients were admitted to the COVID-19 Pandemic Clinic of Malatya Training and Research Hospital between July 15, 2020 and August 28, 2020 and were hospitalized with a diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia. Patients were discharged after the illness, and after 6 months, they applied to the outpatient clinic for follow-up. In this study, we compared the changes in laboratory variables and thorax CT scans at the time of diagnosis and 6 months later. Patients were divided into groups 1 and 2. Group 1: patients who were diagnosed with COVID 19 pneumonia at initial presentation and had thorax CT and laboratory parameters at the time of diagnosis and group 2: patients who presented to the outpatient clinic for 6-month follow-up during the postcovid pneumonia period and had control thorax CT and laboratory parameters. Results: When the laboratory parameters of group 1 and group 2 patients were statistically compared. In addition to the increase in glucose, creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, lactate dehydrogenase, aptt, INR, fibrinogen, neutrophil percentage, mean erythrocyte hemoglobin, albumin, the decrease in calcium, sodium, leukocyte, platelet, hemoglobin, lymphocyte count, erythrocyte distribution range variables were found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). In our study, ground glass opacity was seen most frequently in Group 1 Thorax CT and was found in 57 patients. In 10 of these 57 patients, ground-glass opacity was positive on Group 1 and Group 2 Thorax CT, while ground-glass opacity was negative on Group 2 Thorax CT in 47 patients. In 50 patients, consolidation was found on Group 1 Thorax CT and consolidation was positive on Group 1 and Group 2 Thorax CT in 5 patients. The changes in fibrosis, parenchymal band, reticular opacity, traction bronchiectasis, irregular interfaces, ground glass opacity, consolidation, and pulmonary nodule variables in Group 2 Thorax CT were statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: Laboratory data is very important in terms of COVID-19 infection diagnosis, prognosis and guiding treatment. It may be due to the fact that patients with residual abnormalities on control thorax CT after COVID-19 pneumonia were older, had more comorbid diseases, and had severe clinical disease at the time of hospitalization.