%0 Journal Article %A Gisli Thor Axelsson %A Arnljotur Bjorn Halldorsson %A Helgi Mar Jonsson %A Elias Eythorsson %A Sigridur Erla Sigurdardottir %A Hronn Hardardottir %A Gunnar Gudmundsson %A Sif Hansdottir %T Respiratory function and CT abnormalities among survivors of COVID-19 pneumonia: a nationwide follow-up study %D 2022 %R 10.1136/bmjresp-2022-001347 %J BMJ Open Respiratory Research %P e001347 %V 9 %N 1 %X Introduction Considering the pulmonary burden caused by acute COVID-19, questions remain of respiratory consequences after recovery. The aim of the study was to describe respiratory function of COVID-19 pneumonia survivors at mid-term follow-up (median 68 days) and assess whether impairments were predicted by acute illness severity or residual CT abnormalities.Methods Residents of Iceland that had COVID-19 and oxygen saturation ≤94% from 28 February 2020 to 30 April 2021 were offered a clinical follow-up visit with an interview, a 6 min walk test (6MWT), spirometry with gas exchange measurement and chest CT. The results of these examinations were described, grouped by the level of care during acute illness. The associations of disease severity and CT abnormalities at follow-up with subjective dyspnoea, 6MWT results and lung function test results were estimated with regression analyses.Results Of 190 eligible patients, 164 (86%) participated in the study. Of those, 32 had never been admitted to hospital, 103 were admitted to hospital without intensive care and 29 had required intensive care. At a follow-up, need for intensive care during acute illness was associated with shorter walking distance on 6MWT, lower oxygen saturation and lower DLCO. Imaging abnormalities at follow-up were observed for most participants (74%) and the magnitude of these changes was associated with decrements in 6MWT distance, oxygen saturation, forced vital capacity and DLCO.Conclusions The findings show that impaired exercise capacity and lung physiology at follow-up were primarily observed for patients with COVID-19 pneumonia that required intensive care treatment and/or had persistent imaging abnormalities.No data are available. Individual-level patient data cannot be made publicly available due to privacy concerns. Inquiries regarding summary-level statistics are welcomed by the corresponding author. %U https://bmjopenrespres.bmj.com/content/bmjresp/9/1/e001347.full.pdf