Post-Covid-19 lung sequelae may progress two years after hospital discharge

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the end of the country’s health emergency Covid-19, but many patients still live with the pulmonary consequences of the disease. This is what the article Post-Covid-19 respiratory sequelae two years after hospitalization: an ambidirectional study, published in the renowned scientific journal The Lancet Regional Health Americas, points out.

The content is based on research coordinated by Prof. Carlos Carvalho, head of the pulmonology discipline at FMUSP. The study, unprecedented in South America, follows patients with severe Covid who were admitted to HCFMUSP during the pandemic, with the aim of understanding the long-term impacts of the disease.

The results revealed that, even after two years, more than 90% of participants showed some respiratory changes, many of them serious, such as signs of lung inflammation and possible progression to fibrosis. Only a small percentage (2%) experienced improvement compared to the 6- to 12-month assessment, and a significant portion (25%) of patients with fibrosis-like lesions experienced worsening lung abnormalities.

The survey also showed that length of stay, invasive mechanical ventilation and the patient’s age influence the development of lung lesions similar to fibrosis in post-Covid-19 patients.

Prof. Carvalho highlights the relevance of the study for the scientific community. “The post-Covid area is unknown and we are still learning about the chronic phase. This is the most robust work on the subject and the results will contribute to building the literature on the disease”, he emphasizes.

For the professor, understanding the consequences of the disease over time is essential to predict the possible impacts on public health in the coming years.