Lung function and quality of life one year after severe COVID-19 in Brazil

• Published in: Jornal brasileiro de pneumologia 2024, Vol.50 (2), p.e20230261
• Main Authors: Prata, Tarciane Aline, Leite, Arnaldo Santos, Augusto, Valéria Maria, Bretas, Daniel Cruz, Andrade, Bruno Horta, Oliveira, Jaqueline das Graças Ferreira, Batista, Aline Priscila, Machado-Coelho, George Luiz Lins, Mancuzo, Eliane, Marinho, Carolina Coimbra
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Brazil - epidemiology; COVID-19; COVID-19 - physiopathology; COVID-19 - psychology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dyspnea; Dyspnea - physiopathology; Dyspnea - psychology; Female; Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Lung - physiopathology; Male; Middle Aged; Original; Quality of Life; Respiratory Function Tests; RESPIRATORY SYSTEM; SARS-CoV-2; Severity of Illness Index; Spirometry; Surveys and Questionnaires; Time Factors; Walk Test
• ISSN: 1806-3756; 1806-3713; 1806-3756
• DOI: 10.36416/1806-3756/e20230261

To evaluate symptoms, lung function, and quality of life of a cohort of patients hospitalized for severe COVID-19 12 months after hospital admission. This was a cross-sectional study. We included severe COVID-19 survivors hospitalized in one of three tertiary referral hospitals for COVID-19 in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Participants were submitted to lung function and six-minute walk tests and completed the EQ-5D-3L questionnaire. The whole sample comprised 189 COVID-19 survivors (mean age = 59.6 ± 13.4 years) who had been admitted to a ward only (n = 96; 50.8%) or to an ICU (n = 93; 49.2%). At 12 months of follow-up, 43% of patients presented with dyspnea, 27% of whom had a restrictive ventilatory disorder and 18% of whom presented with impaired DLCO. There were no significant differences in FVC, FEV1, and TLC between the survivors with or without dyspnea. However, those who still had dyspnea had significantly more impaired DLCO (14.9% vs. 22.4%; p < 0.020) and poorer quality of life. After one year, survivors of severe COVID-19 in a middle-income country still present with high symptom burden, restrictive ventilatory changes, and loss of quality of life. Ongoing follow-up is needed to characterize long COVID-19 and identify strategies to mitigate its consequences.