Risk factors for the development of interstitial lung disease following severe COVID-19 pneumonia and outcomes of systemic corticosteroid therapy: 3-month follow-up.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate the pulmonary involvement status, its related factors, and pulmonary function test (PFT) results in the first month follow-up in patients who were discharged for severe Covid-19 pneumonia, and to assess the efficacy of corticosteroid treatment on these parameters in severe pulmonary involvement patients. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed all consecutive patients who applied to our COVID-19 follow-up clinic at the end of the first month of hospital discharge. Functional and radiological differences were compared after 3 months of corticosteroid treatment in severe pulmonary involvement group. Results We analyzed 391 patients with "pulmonary parenchymal involvement" (PPIG) and 162 patients with "normal lung radiology" (NLRG). 122 patients in the PPIG (corticosteroid-required interstitial lung disease group (CRILD)) had severe pulmonary involvement with frequent symptoms and required corticosteroid prescription. Pulmonary involvement was more common in males and elder patients (P<0.001, for both). Being smoker and elderly were associated with a higher risk-ratio in predicting to be in PPIG (OR:2.250 and OR:1.057, respectively). Smokers, male and elderly patients, and HFNO2 support during hospitalization were risk factors for being a patient with CRILD (OR:2.737, OR:4.937, OR:4.756, and OR:2.872, respectively). After a three-months of methylprednisolone medication, a good response was achieved on radiological findings and PFT results in CRILD. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, after severe COVID-19 pneumonia, persistent clinical symptoms and pulmonary parenchymal involvement would be inevitable in elder and smoker patients. Moreover, corticosteroid treatment in patients with severe parenchymal involvement was found to be effective in the improvement of radiological and functional parameters.

Comparison of clinical and radiological characteristics of COVID-19 patients with and without pneumothorax and/or pneumediastinum.

Introduction: Pneumothorax (PTX) and pneumomediastinum (PM) are frequently encountered in patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and complicate the management of these patients. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the risk factors that cause PTX/PM complications in patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 pneumonia and the effects of these complications on the course of the disease. Materials and Methods: A total of 503 patients with COVID-19 hospitalized in the COVID-19 ward or intensive care unit (ICU) between September 2020 and December 2020 were included in the study. Result: The median age of patients was 65 (min-max, 21-99) years. Of the patients 299 (59.4%) were male and 204 (40.6%) were female. Of the cases, 26 (5.2%) developed PTX or PM. The patients who developed PTX/PM were older than patients who did not [58.5 (min-max, 21-96) vs 65 years (min-max, 22-99), p= 0.029]. The percentage of PTX/PM development was significantly higher in male patients [F/M= 4/22 (2/7.4%) vs 200/277 (98/92.6%), p= 0.007]. Hypertension as a comorbidity was more commonly seen in the group without PTX/PM (p= 0.007). Ground-glass opacity was the most common tomographic finding in both groups, it was significantly higher in those who did not develop PTX/PM (p<0.001). The length of hospital stay was shorter in patients with PTX/PM (p<0.001), but mortality was higher (p= 0.04). Conclusions: PTX/PM were relatively more common in COVID-19 patients. These complications may negatively affect the prognosis of the disease.