The frequency and associated factors of pulmonary fibrosis by the twelfth month after community-acquired pneumonia

Abstract

Aims: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a term used to describe an acute lung infection that develops outside of a hospital setting. Radiological sequelae may remain in a certain part of these patients that may affect their lives. We aimed to investigate the frequency of sequelae parenchymal lesions and influencing factors in patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Methods: This retrospective study included patients diagnosed with CAP. First, patients who were admitted to the chest diseases outpatient clinic for any reason and who were treated with the diagnosis of CAP in the emergency department 12 months ago at the earliest were selected. Among these patients, patients with thorax computed tomography (chest-CT) under the control of the chest diseases outpatient clinic were included in the study. Chest-CT results, demographic data and laboratory data were evaluated. Results: A total of 80 patients, 32 (40%) female and 48 (60%) male, diagnosed with CAP were included. The mean age of our patients was 56.83±13.41 (min-max: 18-71). Twenty-three (28.75%) of the patients did not have pathology in the control chest-CT, while 57 (71.25%) patients had various levels of sequelae changes. Of the sequelae observed in 57 patients, 34 (42.5%) had single linear atelectasis or single band formation or ectasia in a single bronchus, while fibrotic structure was detected in 23 (28.75%). Five (6.25%) patients had pulmonary fibrosis. Age and smoking have a statistically significant effect on the presence of fibrosis in patients with CAP. Conclusion: Mild to severe fibrotic changes were observed in one-third of our patients one year after CAP treatment. In our study, fibrotic changes were found to be highly correlated with age and smoking.