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Curr Opin Pulm Med
. 2022 Sep 1;28(5):399-406.
doi: 10.1097/MCP.0000000000000900.
Interstitial lung disease following coronavirus disease 2019
Eirini Vasarmidi 1 2 , Mada Ghanem 1 2 , Bruno Crestani 1 2
Affiliations
- PMID: 35938200
- DOI: 10.1097/MCP.0000000000000900
Abstract
Purpose of review: The aim of this review was to summarize the recent data concerning interstitial lung disease after COVID-19, a field where knowledge is evolving very quickly.
Recent findings: It has been found that a proportion of patients displayed fibrotic-like pattern on chest computed tomography shortly after COVID-19 pneumonia. Those lesions can potentially represent precursors of fibrosis, although most of them will resolve until 1 year postinfection. There was a wide range of the prevalence of post-COVID-19 interstitial lung disease detected in the literature, which can be attributed to the heterogeneous definition of lung abnormalities and the discrepancy of study design. The severity of acute COVID-19 disease has been linked to increased risk of residual imaging and functional abnormalities, while reduced DLco was the most common functional abnormality in long-term survivors. Studies indicated that pathophysiology of post-COVID interstitial lung disease shares common mechanisms with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Regarding therapeutic strategies of post-COVID-19 interstitial lung disease, the role of immunosuppressive and antifibrotic treatment is currently under investigation.
Summary: We still need to learn about the natural history of COVID-19 disease, allowing for a better targeting of therapeutic interventions through a multidisciplinary approach.