Alterations in Respiratory Function Test Three Months after Hospitalisation for COVID-19 Pneumonia: Value of Determining Nitric Oxide Diffusion.
J Clin Med
; 10(10)2021 May 14.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34068867
ABSTRACT
Three to four months after hospitalisation for COVID-19 pneumonia, the most frequently described alteration in respiratory function tests (RFTs) is decreased carbon monoxide transfer capacity (DLCO). METHODS:
This is a prospective cohort study that included patients hospitalised because of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, three months after their discharge. A clinical evaluation, analytical parameters, chest X-ray, six-minute walk test, spirometry and DLCO-DLNO analysis were performed. Demographic variables, comorbidities, and variables related to the severity of the admission were recorded.RESULTS:
Two hundred patients completed the study; 59.5% men, age 62 years, 15.5% admitted to the intensive care unit. The most frequent functional alteration, in 27% of patients, was in the DLCO-DLNO combination. This alteration was associated with age, male sex, degree of dyspnoea, poorer perception of health, and limited ability for physical effort. These patients also presented higher levels of D-Dimer and more residual radiological alterations. In 42% of the patients with diffusion alterations, only reduced DLNO was presented, along with lower D-Dimer levels and less capillary volume involvement. The severity of the process was associated with the reduction in DLCO-DLNO.CONCLUSIONS:
The most sensitive RFT for the detection of the sequelae of COVID-19 pneumonia was the combined measurement of DLCO-DLNO and this factor was related to patient health status and their capacity for physical exertion. In 40% of these cases, there was only a reduction in DLNO, a finding that may indicate less pulmonary vascular involvement.
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article