Long-term clinical follow up of patients suffering from moderate to severe COVID-19 infection: A monocentric prospective observational cohort study

Darcis, Gilles; Bouquegneau, Antoine; Maes, Nathalie; thys, Marie; Henket, Monique; Labye, Florence; Rousseau, Anne-Françoise; Canivet, Perrine; Desir, Colin; Calmes, Doriane; Schils, Raphael; De Worm, Sophie; Léonard, Philippe; Meunier, Paul; Moutschen, Michel; Louis, Renaud; Guiot, Julien

OBJECTIVES: Various symptoms and considerable organ dysfunction persist following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Uncertainty remains about the potential mid- and long-term health sequelae. We prospectively studied patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in Liège University Hospital, Belgium, to determine the persistent consequences of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: We prospectively recruited patients admitted at the University hospital of Liège for moderate to severe confirmed COVID-19, who were discharged between March 2 and October 1, 2020. Follow-up at 3 and 6 months after hospital discharge included demographic and clinical data, biological data, pulmonary function tests (PFT) and chest HRCT scan. RESULTS: 199 individuals were included in the analysis. Most patients received oxygen supplementation (80.4%). Six months after discharge, 47% and 32% of patients still presented exertional dyspnea and fatigue. PFT at three months revealed a reduced DLCO value (71.6 ± 18.6 %) that significantly increased at six months (p<0.0001). Chest CT showed a high prevalence (in 68.9 % of the cohort) of persisting abnormalities, mostly ground glass opacities. The duration of hospitalization, the admission in ICU or mechanical ventilation were not associated with the persistence of symptoms at 3 months after discharge. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of persisting symptoms following hospitalization for COVID-19 is high and stable up to six months after discharge. However, biological, functional and iconographic abnormalities significantly improved overtime.