Long-term sequelae following severe Covid-19 infection based on prior vaccination status.

<bold>INTRODUCTION:</bold> The study aims to compare respiratory sequelae, symptoms, and quality of life during long-term follow-up between vaccinated and unvaccinated ICU-admitted COVID-19 patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An observational, retrospective case-control study involved 110 patients admitted to the ICU with severe COVID-19 infection between December 2020 and January 2022. Among them, 55 previously vaccinated patients were matched (based on age, gender, and ICU admission period) with 55 unvaccinated patients. Short-term follow-up visits (3-6 months) and long-term follow-up visits (> 8 months) were conducted after hospital discharge. Respiratory sequelae, quality of life and symptoms were compared between both groups. <bold>Results:</bold> No significant differences were observed at long-term follow-up visits in mean percentage of predicted diffusion capacity (DLCO) (71.2% vs. 71.2%; p= 0.98), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) (91.1% vs. 87.7%; p=0.32), predicted percentage of the six-minute walking test (91.8% vs. 86.8%; p=0.36) and quality of life (SF-12) in both physical domain (43.7 vs. 39.7; p= 0.08) and mental domain (51.9 vs. 51.3; p=0.76) between unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals, respectively. Additionally, there were no significant differences in the trajectory of these parameters between the two follow-up visits. Among the vaccinated group, 56.4% had received two vaccine doses, with a median time elapsed from the first dose to ICU admission of 214 days [77;260]. <bold>Conclusions:</bold> No significant long-term differences were observed in respiratory sequelae, symptoms, and quality of life among patients who survived an ICU admission for COVID-19, according to their prior vaccination status.