Impaired Diffusion Capacity and Pulmonary Fibrosis after Recovery from COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Résumé

Abstract Background: The medium- to long-term pulmonary consequences of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) after recovery from acute infection remain unclear. Several studies have examined this issue and reported heterogeneous results. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis using a random-effects model to estimate the pooled prevalence of pulmonary sequelae after COVID-19, namely impaired diffusion capacity and pulmonary fibrosis, at least 1 month after the initial infection. PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched from January 1, 2020, to February 15, 2021 to identify related studies. We also assessed whether the initial severity of infection was associated with impaired diffusion capacity in the recovery phase. Results: Of the 8159 studies identified, 29 met our eligibility criteria. Among these studies, 25 and 20 had data on follow-up pulmonary function testing and chest computed tomography (CT), respectively. Impaired diffusion capacity (<80% of predicted values or lower limit of normal) was the most common pulmonary abnormality (pooled prevalence 34%, 95% CI 27%–41%). When classified according to the severity of index infection, patients with severe COVID-19 were more likely to display impaired diffusion capacity than those with non-severe COVID-19 (pooled odds ratio 2.97, 95% CI 2.10–4.20). On follow-up chest CT, pulmonary fibrosis was found in 26% (95% CI 17%–36%) of the patients. Conclusions: A substantial number of patients recovering from COVID-19 displayed impaired diffusion capacity and pulmonary fibrosis. The severity of index COVID-19 was associated with impaired diffusion capacity, highlighting the importance of respiratory follow-up in patients recovering from severe COVID-19.Systematic review registration number: PROSPERO CRD42021234357

Citer ce document

Accès au document

Ce document est hébergé sur son dépôt institutionnel d'origine.

Auteur(s)

Statistiques

Consultations : 1

Téléchargements : 0