Pulmonary Function and Psychological Burden Three Months after COVID-19: Proposal of a Comprehensive Multidimensional Assessment Protocol

oleh: Guido Vagheggini, Francesca Marzetti, Mario Miniati, Lorenzo Bernardeschi, Mario Miccoli, Giulia Boni Brivio, Simone Meini, Eugenia Panait, Elena Cini, Angelo Gemignani

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2022-03-01

Deskripsi

Persisting limitations in respiratory function and gas exchange, cognitive impairment, and mental health deterioration have been observed weeks and months after acute SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). The present study aims at assessing the impairment at three-months in patients who successfully recovered from acute COVID-19. We collected data from May to July 2020. Patients underwent a multidimensional extensive assessment including pulmonary function test, psychological tests, thoracic echo scan, and functional exercise capacity. A total of 21 patients (M:13; Age 57.05 ± 11.02) completed the global assessment. A considerable proportion of patients showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (28.6%), moderate depressive symptoms (9.5%), and clinical insomnia (9.5%); 14.3% of patients exhibited moderate anxiety. A total of eleven patients (52.4%) showed impaired respiratory gas exchange capacity (P-DLCO, DLCO ≤ 79% pred). Compared to patients with normal gas exchange, the P-DLCO subgroup perceived a significant worsening in quality of life (QoL) after COVID-19 (<i>p</i> = 0.024), higher fatigue (<i>p</i> = 0.005), and higher impact of lung disease (<i>p</i> = 0.013). In P-DLCO subgroup, higher echo score was positively associated with hospitalization length of stay (<i>p</i> = 0.047), depressive symptoms (<i>p</i> = 0.042), fatigue (<i>p</i> = 0.035), impairment in mental health (<i>p</i> = 0.035), and impact of lung disease in health status (<i>p</i> = 0.020). Pulmonary function and echo scan lung changes were associated to worsened QoL, fatigue, and psychological distress symptoms.