Pulmonary fibrosis 4 months after COVID-19 is associated with severity of illness and blood leucocyte telomere length

The risk factors for development of fibrotic-like radiographic abnormalities after severe COVID-19 are incompletely described and the extent to which CT findings correlate with symptoms and physical function after hospitalisation remains unclear. At 4 months after hospitalisation, fibrotic-like patterns were more common in those who underwent mechanical ventilation (72%) than in those who did not (20%). We demonstrate that severity of initial illness, duration of mechanical ventilation, lactate dehydrogenase on admission and leucocyte telomere length are independent risk factors for fibrotic-like radiographic abnormalities. These fibrotic-like changes correlate with lung function, cough and measures of frailty, but not with dyspnoea.

Automated summary

Patients who underwent mechanical ventilation for severe COVID-19 are more likely to develop fibrotic-like radiographic abnormalities after hospitalisation. The severity of initial illness, duration of mechanical ventilation, lactate dehydrogenase on admission, and leucocyte telomere length are independent risk factors for these abnormalities, which are correlated with lung function, cough, and frailty measures, but not with dyspnoea.