The impact of mild COVID‐19 on medium‐term respiratory function
<b>What the study adds.</b> We found that pulmonary function, particularly diffusing capacity, was lower than predicted in a significant proportion of non-healthcare-seeking individuals up to 2 years after mild COVID-19. A high body mass index (BMI) was found to be significantly and independently associated with decreased lung function.<b>Implications of the findings.</b> There is a paucity of evidence on the medium-term effects of mild COVID-19 on the respiratory system in non-healthcare-seeking individuals. We investigated the medium-term effects of mild COVID-19 on the respiratory system, showed lower than predicted lung function, and identified one independent predictor, BMI. Even individuals classified as having 'mild' COVID-19 could have medium-term respiratory sequelae.
Authors
- Coenraad F.N. Koegelenberg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5563-8429)
- Arifa Parker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2005-698X)
- Brian Allwood (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0421-2978)
- Hans Strijdom (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3726-9153)
- Carl Lombard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2136-6533)
- Usha Lalla (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4395-5152)
- J Van Heerden (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7347-2111)
Institutions
- South African Medical Research Council (ZA)
- Western Cape Department of Health (ZA)
- University of Cape Town (ZA)
- Stellenbosch University (ZA)
- Tygerberg Hospital (ZA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- African Journal of Thoracic and Critical Care Medicine
- Published
- 2024-10-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.7196/ajtccm.2024.v30i3.1629
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.84