Interstitial lung disease, an emerging complication of COVID-19 pneumonia: JAPI

New Delhi: A recent study, published in the Journal of the Association of Physicians of India (JAPI), describes three cases of Covid-19 with post-COVID-19 fibrosis that were managed at a tertiary care hospital in New Delhi. 

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the virus behind one of the most tragic pandemics of the century. The virus is leaving a trail of devastating pulmonary fibrosis among the survivors.

As India recovers from the two waves of the Covid-19 pandemic, its sequelae are posing a new challenge to the physician. These may vary from fatigue, myalgia to persistent breathlessness due to pulmonary fibrosis. Management of post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis is currently limited to symptomatic management and largely an unexplored aspect. 

Ashish Kumar Singh, senior resident at Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC), New Delhi, and colleagues aimed to draw attention to the imminent threat of post-COVID-19 interstitial lung disease (PC-ILD) in COVID survivors through a case series.

For this purpose, the researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of data in patients admitted with severe COVID in December 2020 at LHMC and who had prolonged stay with symptoms and signs suggestive of pulmonary fibrosis. HRCT was done to make a diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis or ILD. Three such patients were identified.

All three cases were laboratory-proven SARS CoV-2 positive cases and had developed pulmonary fibrosis, with traction bronchiectasis, termed here as PC-ILD (Post Covid-Interstitial Lung Disease).  At three months of follow-up, two of them survived and had improved oxygen saturation while one patient developed arrhythmia and died.

"PC-ILD is one of the emerging complications of COVID-19 pneumonia. A proactive follow-up program should be undertaken to identify and manage this looming epidemic," concluded the authors. 

Reference:

The study, "Post-COVID Interstitial Lung Disease – The Looming Epidemic," is published in the Journal of the Association of Physicians of India (JAPI).

DOI: https://www.japi.org/x29454a4/post-covid-interstitial-lung-disease-ndash-the-looming-epidemic