ArticleThe Brazilian journal of infectious diseases : an official publication of the Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases
Lung function six months after severe COVID-19: Does time, in fact, heal all wounds?
Article in The Brazilian journal of infectious diseases : an official publication of the Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Recovery of lung function during the first year after COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2025Pooled it
- Global prevalence of post-COVID-19 condition: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective evidence.Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice · 2025Pooled it
- Functional Recovery of Adults Following Acute COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Physical therapy · 2025Pooled it
- Post-acute COVID-19 symptom risk in hospitalized and non-hospitalized COVID-19 survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Comparison of Long COVID-19 Caused by Different SARS-CoV-2 Strains: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Symptom Trajectories and Long-Term Sequelae of COVID-19: A Matched Case-Control Study with Population-Based Controls.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Prospective analysis of post-COVID-19 hospitalization: Impact on pulmonary function, physical performance and overall functionality.Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2026Article
- A Retrospective Observational Study of Pulmonary Impairments in Long COVID Patients.Biomedicines · 2026Article
- Long-Term Pulmonary Function in Healthcare Workers: A Spirometric Evaluation Three Years Post-COVID-19 Pandemic.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- SARS-CoV-2 vaccination influence in the development of long-COVID clinical phenotypes.Epidemiology and infection · 2025Article
- Clinico-radiological and pulmonary function assessment of post-COVID-19 patients with respiratory symptoms.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2024Article
- Quality of Life, Family Support, Spirometry, and 6-Minute Walking Distance Differences between COVID-19 and Non-COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit Patients in One Year Following Hospital Discharge.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- The Impact of COVID-19 Infection on Patients with Severe Chronic Pulmonary Hypertension: A Prospective Study from a Single Referral Center.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Article
- Pulmonary function 3-6 months after acute COVID-19: A systematic review and multicentre cohort study.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Low handgrip strength is associated with worse functional outcomes in long COVID.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- The impact of mild COVID-19 on medium-term respiratory function.African journal of thoracic and critical care medicine · 2024Article
- Lung function and quality of life one year after severe COVID-19 in Brazil.Jornal brasileiro de pneumologia : publicacao oficial da Sociedade Brasileira de Pneumologia e Tisilogia · 2024Article
- Manual Lymph Drainage for Post-COVID-19 Related Cough, Breathlessness, and Fatigue; Two Case Reports.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Longitudinal Analysis of Pulmonary Function Impairment One Year Post-COVID-19: A Single-Center Study.Journal of personalized medicine · 2023Article
- Spontaneous physical functional recovery after hospitalization for COVID-19: insights from a 1 month follow-up and a model to predict poor trajectory.Frontiers in medicine · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCOVID-19 has been associated with persistent symptoms and functional changes, especially in those surviving severe disease.
methodsWe conducted a prospective multicenter study in patients with severe COVID-19 to determine respiratory sequelae. Patients were stratified into two groups: ward admission (WA) and intensive care unit (ICU) admission. In each follow-up visit, the patients where inquired about cough and dyspnea, and performed spirometry, lung volumes, carbon monoxide diffusion capacity (DLCO), 6-minute walk test (6MWT), and respiratory muscle strength (MIP and MEP). Results of pulmonary function tests at 45 days and 6 months after hospital admission were compared using paired analysis.
results211 patients were included, 112 in WA and 99 in ICU. Dyspnea persisted in 64.7% in the WA and 66.7% in the ICU group after 6 months. Lung function measures showed significant improvement between 45 days and 6 months, both in WA and ICU groups in VC, FVC, FEV1, total lung capacity, and 6MW distance measures. The improvement in the proportions of the altered functional parameters was significant in the ICU group for VC (44.2% 45 d; 20.8% 6 m; p = 0,014), FVC (47.6% 45 d; 28% 6 m; p = 0,003), FEV1 (45.1% 45 d; 28% 6 m; p = 0,044), DLCO (33.8% 45 d; 7.7% 6 m; p < 0,0001).
conclusionSix months follow-up of patients with the severe forms of COVID-19 showed significant improvement in the lung function measures compared to 45 days post hospital discharge. The difference was more evident in those requiring ICU admission.
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