The Prevalence of Pulmonary Fibrosis After COVID-19 in Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Background: There could be substantial fibrotic consequences following COVID-19 named pulmonary fibrosis (PF), which is a progressive lung disease results in thickened and stiff lung tissues, impairing lung function. High-resolution CT scans are used to diagnose PF by revealing damage and scarring in the lungs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of PF among patients who have recovered from COVID-19 in hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, analyzed 3,150 COVID-19 subjects from March 2020 to January 2024, with 342 subjects undergoing CT scans. Chi-square analysis assessed factors influencing PF development, with significance set at P < .05 and a 95% confidence interval. Before collecting the data, an IRB approval was obtained. Results: Out of the total subjects, 27 were diagnosed with PF after COVID-19, resulting in a prevalence rate of 7.89%. The majority of COVID-19 subjects were older than 65 years old (47.37%), and females accounted for 54.09% of the subjects. There was a strong correlation with ICU length of stay (P < .001). Additionally, radiological features such as honeycombing, traction-bronchiectasis, architecture-distortion, and reticulation strongly correlated with PF, as indicated by their low P-values (all P < .001). However, septal thickening did not show a significant association with PF. Moreover, pre-existing health conditions like pulmonary diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney diseases were not statistically significant with the development of PF (P > .05) Conclusions: The findings suggest that there is an association between the existence of PF after COVID-19 and radiological features in the CT scan. In addition, there is an association between decreased ICU stay and the occurrence of PF after COVID-19. The strength of this study is the good quality of the data because of the high accuracy and efficiency of the BESTCARE system. On the other hand, the weakness of this study is that the results cannot be generalized because it was conducted in one hospital only. Future studies should include subjects from different hospitals and a wider geographical area to generalize the results.