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. 2021 Mar 18;57(3):283.
doi: 10.3390/medicina57030283.

Post COVID-19 Organizing Pneumonia: The Right Time to Interfere

Kristina Bieksiene  1 , Jurgita Zaveckiene  2 , Kestutis Malakauskas  1 , Neringa Vaguliene  1 , Marius Zemaitis  1 , Skaidrius Miliauskas  1
Affiliations

Post COVID-19 Organizing Pneumonia: The Right Time to Interfere

Kristina Bieksiene et al. Medicina (Kaunas). .

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed medical care. Healthcare professionals are faced with new issues. Patients who survived COVID-19 have plenty of different continuing symptoms, of which the most common are fatigue and breathlessness. It is not well known how to care for patients with persistent or worsening respiratory symptoms and changes on chest X-ray following COVID-19 pneumonia. In this article, we talk about a subgroup of patients with organizing pneumonia following COVID-19 pneumonia that could be effectively treated with systemic glucocorticoids. It is important that patients with COVID-19 pneumonia be followed-up at least three weeks after diagnosis, in order to recognize early lung damage. We are providing a management algorithm for early diagnosis of lung diseases after COVID-19 pneumonia.

Keywords: COVID-19; interstitial lung diseases; organizing pneumonia; systemic glucocorticoids; viral pneumonia.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A,C) Computed tomography (CT) of a 58-year-old woman, 21 days after COVID-19 pneumonia diagnosis, treated at home, with persistent and deteriorating respiratory symptoms. Peripheral consolidation with air bronchograms, reticular changes and small areas of ground glass opacities (organizing pneumonia). (B,D) CT after 4 weeks of treatment with systemic glucocorticoids—resorption of consolidation with the fibrotic component (reticular changes, bronchiectasis).
Figure 2
Figure 2
A 59-year-old man, with severe COVID-19 pneumonia treated in hospital. (A,C) At 10 days after the onset of symptoms. Peribronchovascular, perilobular consolidation and ground-glass opacities—organizing pneumonia and nonspecific interstitial pneumonia. (B,D) At 2 months after diagnosis with persistent respiratory symptoms; the patient was not treated with oral glucocorticoids. Decreased areas of ground glass opacities, small consolidation with air bronchograms, fibrotic changes.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Management algorithm for early diagnosis of lung disease after COVID-19 pneumonia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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