Vaccination and Reduced Severity of COVID-19 Pneumonia Viewed at Chest Radiography

Abstract

HomeRadiologyVol. 304, No. 3 PreviousNext CommunicationsFree AccessLetters to the EditorVaccination and Reduced Severity of COVID-19 Pneumonia Viewed at Chest RadiographyAndrea Borghesi , Roberto MaroldiAndrea Borghesi , Roberto MaroldiAuthor AffiliationsDepartment of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Piazzale Spedali Civili 1, 25123 Brescia, Italyemail: [email protected]Andrea Borghesi Roberto MaroldiPublished Online:Jun 7 2022https://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.220309MoreSectionsPDF ToolsImage ViewerAdd to favoritesCiteTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked In Editor:We read with great interest the article by Dr Lee and colleagues published in the June 2022 issue of Radiology (1). In their large cohort of 716 hospitalized patients with COVID-19, patients vaccinated for COVID-19 exhibited fewer findings of COVID-19 pneumonia at chest CT than did patients who were not vaccinated. Additionally, the need for ventilatory support and the frequency of intensive care unit admission were significantly lower in the vaccinated group than in the unvaccinated group (1).In a similar vein, we reviewed our own data on the impact of vaccination on COVID-19 pneumonia severity in our hospital, which is in the eastern part of Lombardy, Italy. Our hospital was one of the hot spots of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. We selected chest radiographs acquired in our emergency department between November 2021 and February 2022 in patients with COVID-19 and respiratory symptoms, and in whom COVID-19 vaccination status was available. We considered both hospitalized and discharged patients. Patients who had not completed their vaccination course or previously had COVID-19 were excluded. We ranked the disease severity using a dedicated chest radiography scoring system (Brixia score) for patients with COVID-19 (2–5). To analyze differences between the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups, baseline characteristics (patient age and sex) and Brixia scores were compared by using the Mann-Whitney U test and χ2 test. Notification of this retrospective analysis was presented to our local ethics committee.Of 205 patients in whom chest radiography was performed in our emergency department, there were 109 patients who were vaccinated and 96 patients who were unvaccinated. Age and sex were similar in the two groups (P = .50). The Brixia score was higher in the unvaccinated group (median, 5; IQR, 3–7) than in the vaccinated group (median, 1; IQR, 0–6) (P < .001). The percentage of chest radiographs without lung abnormalities was higher in the vaccinated group (36%) than in the unvaccinated group (13%) (P < .001).The data presented by Dr Lee and colleagues and our own preliminary data are concurrent: Both studies highlight the crucial role of COVID-19 vaccination to overcome this disease by providing evidence on images of vaccine efficacy and by providing hope for a gradual return to normalcy.Disclosures of conflicts of interest: A.B. No relevant relationships. R.M. No relevant relationships.