ArticleBMC pulmonary medicine2026
Long-term radiologic trajectories and corticosteroid strategies in COVID-19 patients with pre-existing ILD: a 24-month cohort study.
Article in BMC pulmonary medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPatients with pre-existing interstitial lung disease (ILD) are highly vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection, yet the long-term radiologic and clinical consequences remain poorly defined. This study evaluated 24-month outcomes, radiologic trajectories, and the impact of corticosteroid strategies in hospitalized COVID-19 patients with ILD.
methodsWe conducted a retrospective longitudinal cohort study including 82 hospitalized COVID-19 patients with pre-existing ILD (December 2022–April 2023). Clinical variables, treatments, and serial high-resolution CT (HRCT) scans at baseline, 6, 12, and 24 months were analyzed. HRCT data were quantified using AI-assisted automated whole-lung segmentation, and radiologic trajectory phenotypes were identified using latent class growth mixture modeling (LCGMM). Cox regression, ROC analysis, and LOESS models assessed the associations between corticosteroid exposure, tapering duration, radiologic progression, and mortality.
resultsThree distinct 24-month CT trajectories were identified: Improved (n = 22, 43.1%), Stable–Low (n = 10, 19.6%), and Unfavorable (n = 19, 37.3%). The Unfavorable group exhibited higher baseline inflammatory markers and lower PaO₂/FiO₂ ratios. In adjusted Cox analyses incorporating disease severity indicators, longer corticosteroid tapering duration was statistically associated with improved survival (HR = 0.929, 95% CI 0.866–0.996), whereas associations between maximal corticosteroid dose and mortality were attenuated after adjustment. A tapering duration of ≤ 35 days was identified as a threshold associated with increased mortality risk (AUC = 0.742). Longer tapering duration (> 35 days) was associated with greater radiologic resolution, whereas rapid tapering (≤ 35 days) was associated with persistent radiologic abnormalities.
conclusionsCOVID-19 survivors with pre-existing ILD exhibit divergent 24-month radiologic trajectories, and a substantial proportion experience progressive parenchymal involvement. In this observational cohort study, the duration of corticosteroid dose reduction is associated with imaging changes and survival rates. AI-assisted HRCT quantification combined with trajectory modeling provides a promising framework for individualized monitoring and early antifibrotic consideration in this high-risk population.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.