Introduction: Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has been a global public health emergency, with 209.89 million cases of infection with SARS-CoV-2 recorded, resulting in 4,401,675 deaths. After recuperation, it is probable that COVID-19 patients have sequelae of the disease. This study aimed to evaluate the respiratory anatomical-functional sequelae in Mexican patients who recovered from COVID-19.
Methodology: This study included twenty-four patients who recovered from COVID-19 and eight non-infected patients (controls). Participants were screened for SARS-CoV-2 and the presence of IgM/IgG antibodies. Pulmonary function and lung anatomical abnormalities were evaluated by spirometry and computerized tomography.
Results: A total of 45.8% of the patients had pulmonary function with obstructive patterns: 70.8% of recovered cases had COVID-19 Reporting and Data System (CO-RADS) 1, 20.8% CO-RADS 3 and 16.7% CO-RADS 4. A total of 35.3% of patients with CO-RADS 1 also showed bilateral nodal growth; 70.8% of patients tested positive for IgG and 8.4% for IgG/IgM, and 20.8% tested negative for both antibodies.
Conclusions: There were respiratory anatomical and functional sequelae in Mexican patients who recovered from COVID-19, with a high occurrence of pulmonary obstructive patterns in the study population. These observations indicate the importance of the routine evaluation of sequelae in Mexican patients who recovered from COVID-19 and the need for strict follow-up to improve the quality of life of these patients.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; computerized tomography scan; coronavirus; pulmonary sequelae.
Copyright (c) 2022 Margarita de la Luz Martinez-Fierro, Jose Isaias Badillo-Almaraz, Jose Ramon Munoz-Torres, Griselda Aide Cabral Pacheco, Idalia Garza-Veloz, Edgar Fernando Gutierrez-Vela, Lucia Socorro Hernandez-Marquez, Lizbeth Areli Hernandez-Marquez, Alondra Daniela Torres-Gaytan, Juan Carlos Alvarez-Castro, Claudia Caldera-Villalobos, Ivan Delgado-Enciso, Iram Pablo Rodriguez-Sanchez, Oscar Gustavo Meza-Zavala, Yolanda Ortiz-Castro.