New Insights on Post-COVID-19 Pulmonary Fibrosis: Risk Factors and Clinical Correlations

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Nasir Abdelrafie, Lienda Bashier Eltayeb, Habab Merghani Yassin, Dalia G Hamouda, Alaa Eltayeb Omer, Abeer Abd Alla Elhassan Babekir, Alwaleed Khalid Al Balushi, Juhaina Abdullah Al Battashi, Maha Hadid Al Alawiya, Maram Yaqoob Al Zadjali, Shahd Abdullati

 
For citation: Abdelrafie N, Eltayeb LB, Yassin HM, Hamouda DG, Omer AE, Babekir AAAE, Al Balushi AK, Al Battashi JA, AlAlawiya MH, AlZadjali MY, AlBalushi SA, AlMajarafi SK. New Insights on Post-COVID-19 Pulmonary Fibrosis: Risk Factors and Clinical Correlations. International Journal of Biomedicine. 2024;14(4):664-672. doi:10.21103/Article14(4)_OA21
 
Originally published December 5, 2024
 

Abstract: 

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) effect on the lungs ranges from an asymptomatic infection to a critical illness with acute respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), septic shock, or multiorgan failure. Pulmonary fibrosis, as a short-term or long-term complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection, is a progressive and fatal sequel to COVID-19. The present study assessed the risk factors and clinical findings associated with post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis.
Methods and Results: This case-control study was conducted among Omani citizens and residents of Sohar State, Oman, from 01 Jan 2020 to 31 Dec 2022. The study involved 106 patients with post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis (the main group) and 102 subjects who recovered from COVID-19 without pulmonary fibrosis (the control group). Advanced age, length of hospital stay, and the need for mechanical ventilation were significantly associated with post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis. Moreover, the current study reported a significant elevation in total white blood cell count, serum lactate dehydrogenase, serum creatinine, and D-dimer levels among patients with pulmonary fibrosis.
Conclusion: The current study demonstrated a potential association between post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis and severity-associated markers of COVID-19.

Keywords: 
SARS-CoV-2 • COVID-19 • risk factors • pulmonary fibrosis
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Received August 19, 2024.
Accepted October 3, 2024.
©2024 International Medical Research and Development Corporation.