Lung Fibrosis Sequelae After Recovery from COVID-19 Infection

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel coronavirus that causes coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19). The SARS-CoV-2 is very contagious and nobody is known to be immune to it. The post-infected lung would leave a scar known as fibrosis, a scar tissue. A study from Wuhan, China suggested the development of fibrosis, though it was too early to label these lung changes as irreversible fibrosis in a time range of 3 weeks. The occurrence of fibrosis indicates a chronic infection which greatly contributes to the hallmark symptom of COVID-19 induced ARDS such as shortness of breath and chest pain. However, many of those studies have not yet explained the condition of the patient's lung after total recovery from the COVID-19. This report demonstrates the clinical symptoms, chest CT scan, spirometry, and blood gas analysis of patient after total recovery from the COVID-19 with appearance lung fibrosis.

Keywords: COVID-19; lung fibrosis; recovery.