PULMONARY COMPLICATIONS OF COVID-19 INFECTION POST-SIX MONTHS

Abstract

Background  COVID-19 has been linked to a wide range of long-term respiratory consequences after the initial illness, both clinically and radiologically.. Objectives  To find the prevalence of post covid respiratory complications and their relation with HRCT findings after six months from infection.  Material and Methods This cohort study was conducted in different Sulaimani city’s COVID-19 centers from September 1st to November 30, 2021; a total of 100 patients (65 male and 35 female), a mean age of 45.5 (18-91 years old) were randomly collected. All patients had High-Resolution CT during acute infection, followed by second HRCT 6 months after the initial infection. Results Among 100 cases in the study, 64% of the patients have one or more chest symptoms, particularly cough (40%) and dyspnea (31%). Regardless of the age and comorbid illnesses, cough and chest tightness are predominantly found among female patients; moderately infected patients are more prone to have post-COVID symptoms than others (p-value 0.003 except for hemoptysis was 0.013). Concerning HRCT findings most common initial HRCT findings were ground glass opacity at 100%, consolidation49%, and reticulation at 46%, while on the follow-up scan, reticulation was the predominant finding at 44%. In addition, a significant correlation was found between cough and dyspnea with consolidation, crazy paving, and reticulation (p-value <0.001). Conclusion Cough and dyspnea are predominant features after six months and significantly correlate with HRCT findings of consolidation, crazy paving, and reticulation during active disease; smoking is not a risk factor for pulmonary complications.