Objective This study investigated the influence of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on lung function in early convalescence phase. Methods A retrospective study of COVID-19 patients at the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University were conducted, with serial assessments including lung volumes (TLC), spirometry (FVC, FEV1), lung diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO),respiratory muscle strength, 6-min walking distance (6MWD) and high resolution CT being collected at 30 days after discharged. Results Fifty-seven patients completed the serial assessments. There were 40 non-severe cases and 17 severe cases. Thirty-one patients (54.3%) had abnormal CT findings. Abnormalities were detected in the pulmonary function tests in 43 (75.4%) of the patients. Six (10.5%), 5(8.7%), 25(43.8%) 7(12.3%), and 30 (52.6%) patients had FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC ratio, TLC, and DLCO values less than 80% of predicted values, respectively. 28 (49.1%) and 13 (22.8%) patients had PImax and PEmax values less than 80% of the corresponding predicted values. Compared with non-severe cases, severe patients showed higher incidence of DLCO impairment (75.6%vs42.5%, p = 0.019), higher lung total severity score (TSS) and R20, and significantly lower percentage of predicted TLC and 6MWD. No significant correlation between TSS and pulmonary function parameters was found during follow-up visit. Conclusion Impaired diffusing-capacity, lower respiratory muscle strength, and lung imaging abnormalities were detected in more than half of the COVID-19 patients in early convalescence phase. Compared with non-severe cases, severe patients had a higher incidence of DLCO impairment and encountered more TLC decrease and 6MWD decline.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, Early convalescence, Lung function, Respiratory muscle strength, 【초록키워드】 coronavirus disease, Coronavirus disease 2019, severity, lung, spirometry, Retrospective study, Pulmonary function test, carbon monoxide, Lung function, Respiratory muscle strength, Patient, severe cases, Follow-up, Severe patient, incidence, correlation, assessment, university, patients, COVID-19 patients, COVID-19 patient, Muscle strength, diffusing capacity, Affiliated Hospital, respiratory muscle, Sun Yat-sen, high resolution, Pulmonary function tests, Lung volume, severe patients, assessments, CT findings, Abnormalities, pulmonary function parameters, impairment, non-severe cases, lung imaging abnormalities, high resolution CT, Impaired diffusing-capacity, lower respiratory muscle strength, lung volumes, significantly lower, Non-severe case, objective, decrease, walking distance, Result, predicted, collected, investigated, conducted, less, discharged, TSS, diffusing, FVC, lung imaging abnormality, pulmonary function parameter, 【제목키워드】 Coronavirus disease 2019, Pulmonary function, Impact,