Elgarawany Ghada E, Shevade Sapna, Aldebi Shahad, Ahmed Bader, Omer Fagr, Adel Raghad
Department of Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, ARE.
Department of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shibin El Kom, EGY.
Cureus. 2024 Jun 6;16(6):e61773. doi: 10.7759/cureus.61773. eCollection 2024 Jun.
Background and objective COVID-19 is a respiratory disease that is highly contagious and is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Symptoms vary from mild to severe, where most of the patients suffer from high fever, severe headaches, dry cough, and exhaustion, while the less common symptoms are diarrhea, loss of taste, sore throat, and loss of smell. Following recovery from COVID-19, some patients displayed a restricted pattern in the function of their lungs. As a result, documenting the effects of COVID-19 after infection is essential since it provides a better understanding of the long-term consequences of COVID-19. Hence, the objective of the present study was to assess pulmonary functions in post-convalescent COVID-19 patients. Methodology A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted among students and staff members of Gulf Medical University for a duration of one year from 2021 to 2022. Through a convenient sampling method, a total of 100 participants were recruited for the present study, in which pulmonary function tests (PFTs) were performed using a spirometer, and O2 levels were measured using a pulse oximeter. Additionally, respiratory rate and pulse rate were monitored. Results The present study highlighted the comparison of PFTs in post-convalescent COVID-19 patients and concluded that smoker and convalescent COVID-19 groups showed non-significant decrease (p>0.05) in forced vital capacity (FVC) prediction, forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) prediction, FEV1/FVC%, forced mid-expiratory flow rate (FEF) prediction, peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) prediction, respiratory rate, and pulse rate in comparison to the control group. In comparison to the convalescent COVID-19 group, convalescent COVID-19 smoking patients showed a significant increase in FEV1/FVC% (p=0.04). Additionally, in comparison to the convalescent COVID-19 group, a significant increase in PEFR prediction values was observed with a p-value of 0.045 and in comparison to the smoker group with a p-value of 0.006. Moreover, oxygen saturation (SpO2) levels demonstrated non-significant changes between the groups. Conclusion The study concluded that for FEV1/FVC% and PEFR prediction values among the convalescent COVID-19 smoking patient group, a significant increase was observed in comparison to the convalescent COVID-19 group. This aids healthcare professionals in amending strategies to prevent consequences resulting from post-COVID-19 infection.
背景与目的
新冠病毒病（COVID-19）是一种极具传染性的呼吸道疾病，由严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）引起。症状从轻微到严重不等，大多数患者会出现高烧、严重头痛、干咳和乏力，而较不常见的症状是腹泻、味觉丧失、喉咙痛和嗅觉丧失。COVID-19康复后，一些患者的肺部功能出现受限模式。因此，记录COVID-19感染后的影响至关重要，因为这有助于更好地了解COVID-19的长期后果。因此，本研究的目的是评估COVID-19康复患者的肺功能。
方法
2021年至2022年期间，对海湾医科大学的学生和教职员工进行了为期一年的横断面比较研究。通过便利抽样法，本研究共招募了100名参与者，使用肺活量计进行肺功能测试（PFTs），并使用脉搏血氧仪测量氧水平。此外，监测呼吸频率和脉搏率。
结果
本研究突出了COVID-19康复患者肺功能测试的比较，并得出结论，与对照组相比，吸烟者和COVID-19康复组在用力肺活量（FVC）预测值、第一秒用力呼气量（FEV1）预测值、FEV1/FVC%、用力呼气中期流速（FEF）预测值、呼气峰值流速（PEFR）预测值、呼吸频率和脉搏率方面均无显著下降（p>0.05）。与COVID-19康复组相比，COVID-19康复吸烟患者的FEV1/FVC%显著增加（p=0.04）。此外，与COVID-19康复组相比，PEFR预测值显著增加，p值为0.045，与吸烟组相比，p值为0.006。此外，各组间的血氧饱和度（SpO2）水平无显著变化。
结论
研究得出结论，与COVID-19康复组相比，COVID-19康复吸烟患者组的FEV1/FVC%和PEFR预测值显著增加。这有助于医疗保健专业人员调整策略，以预防COVID-19感染后产生的后果。
