Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Oct 13;15(1):713.
doi: 10.4081/mrm.2020.713. eCollection 2020 Jan 28.

Changes in quality of life and dyspnoea after hospitalization in COVID-19 patients discharged at home

Pierachille Santus  1   2 , Francesco Tursi  3 , Giuseppe Croce  1   2 , Chiara Di Simone  1   2 , Francesca Frassanito  1   2 , Paolo Gaboardi  1   2 , Andrea Airoldi  1 , Marica Pecis  1 , Giangiuseppe Negretto  1 , Dejan Radovanovic  1
Affiliations

Changes in quality of life and dyspnoea after hospitalization in COVID-19 patients discharged at home

Pierachille Santus et al. Multidiscip Respir Med. .

Abstract

Background: To date, the effects of COVID-19 pneumonia on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and dyspnoea are unknown.

Methods: In a real-life observational study, 20 patients with COVID-19-related pneumonia received usual care plus erdosteine (300 mg twice daily) for 15 days after hospital discharge following local standard operating procedures. At discharge (T0) and on Day 15 (T1), participants completed the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale of dyspnoea during daily activity, the BORG scale for dyspnoea during exertion, and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for dyspnoea at rest. Paired t-tests compared scores at T0 and T1.

Results: The mean (SD) SGRQ total score decreased from 25.5 (15.5) at T0 to 16.9 (13.2) at T1 (p<0.01); 65% of patients achieved a clinically important change of ≥4 points. SGRQ domain scores (symptoms, activity, and impact) were also significantly reduced (all p<0.01). The mean (SD) VAS score decreased from 1.6 (1.7) to 1.4 (2.5); p<0.01. The mean mMRC score decreased significantly (p=0.031) and 30% of patients achieved a clinically important change of ≥1 point. The mean (SD) Borg score increased from 12.8 (4.2) to 14.3 (2.4); p<0.01.

Conclusion: The present proof of concept study is the first to report HRQoL in patients with COVID-19. During 15 days after hospital discharge, patients reported significant improvements in HRQoL and dyspnoea at rest and during daily activities.

Keywords: Antioxidant; COVID-19; coronavirus; dyspnea; erdosteine; quality of life.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Changes in mMRC dyspnoea scale after discharge. Number of patients stratified by level on the mMRC dyspnoea scale at hospital discharge (T0) and 15 days post-discharge (T1). Level 1 = I get short of breath when hurrying on the level or up a slight hill; level 2 = I walk slower than people of the same age on the level because of breathlessness or I have to stop for breath when walking at my own pace on the level; level 3 = I stop for breath after walking 100 meters or after a few minutes on the level; level 4 = I am too breathless to leave the house or I am breathless when dressing.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Proportion of patients that reached the MCID in SGRQ and mMRC after discharge. Percentage of patients (n=20) who achieved a clinically important change in the SGRQ total score (MCID ≥ 4 points) and in mMRC dyspnoea scale score (MCID ≥ 1 point) between hospital discharge and Day 15. MCID minimal clinically important difference.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ye G, Pan Z, Pan Y, Deng Q, Chen L, Li J, et al. Clinical characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 reactivation. J Infect 2020;80:e14-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2020.03.001. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zhou F, Yu T, Du R, Fan G, Liu Y, Liu Z, et al. Clinical course and risk factors for mortality of adult inpatients with COVID- 19 in Wuhan, China: a retrospective cohort study. Lancet 2020;395:1054-62. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30566-3. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mo X, Jian W, Su Z, Chen M, Peng H, Peng P, et al. Abnormal pulmonary function in COVID-19 patients at time of hospital discharge. Eur Respir J 2020;55:2001217. doi: 10.1183/1399 3003.01217-2020. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zheng Z, Yao Z, Wu K, Zheng J. Patient follow-up after discharge after COVID-19 pneumonia: considerations for infectious control. J Med Virol 2020. 10.1002/jmv.25994. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Guan WJ, Ni ZY, Hu Y, Liang WH, Ou CQ, He JX, et al. Clinical characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 in China. N Engl J Med 2020;382:1708-20. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa 2002032. - PMC - PubMed