Association Between Chest Imaging and Persistent Symptoms: A Six-Month Follow-Up Study on COVID-19 SurvivorsChest imaging and COVID-19 persistent symptoms at six months follow-up.

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic remains a global challenge with over 750 million cases. Post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) involves persistent symptoms three months post-infection, affecting 30%-50% of recovered individuals for up to two years. Risk factors include female sex, smoking, lung disease, and severe initial infection. This article examines if initial chest radiological findings predict PCC. Objective: This study aims to explore the association between initial chest radiological findings and the risk of PCC. Materials and Methods: A single-center ambidirectional cohort study included 1063 COVID-19 patients with thoracic imaging within 72 hours of admission. Baseline data, clinical symptoms, and imaging findings were collected. Six-month follow-up telephone interviews assessed persistent symptoms and PCC development. Results: 47.1% of patients developed PCC and 35% of these patients showed abnormalities in X-ray. Abnormal chest X-ray findings (RR: 1.19; 95%CI: 1.04-1.35), particularly ground glass opacities (RR: 1.18; 95%CI: 1.03-1.36), and multilobar involvement (RR: 1.348; 95%CI: 1.080-1.682) were associated with PCC at 6 months. Conclusion: This study establishes a link between initial chest X-ray findings and PCC development. Despite limited literature support, our findings stress the prognostic value of early imaging in predicting long-term outcomes. Further research is needed to validate imaging's role in understanding and predicting PCC.