ArticleRespiratory research2026
Long-term chest CT abnormalities up to 4.5 years after COVID-19 hospitalization and their association with dyspnea and fatigue: a prospective cohort study.
Article in Respiratory research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLong-term pulmonary sequelae following hospitalization for COVID-19 remain incompletely characterized, and few studies have reported radiological outcomes beyond 2 years. This study investigated the persistence of chest CT abnormalities up to 4.5 years after hospitalization for COVID-19 and their association with current dyspnea and fatigue.
methodsThis longitudinal cohort study included patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in 2020. Chest CT was performed 3 months after hospital admission, with follow-up imaging after 12 months and 4.5 years in patients with persisting abnormalities. CT images were evaluated using a CT severity score (CSS) on a 0-12 scale, which was subsequently recoded to an abbreviated CSS (aCSS) on a 0-3 scale. Trends in CT abnormalities and their determinants were analyzed using multivariable mixed effects ordinal regression.
resultsIn total, 187 patients underwent chest CT at 3 months. Among patients with persistent abnormalities, 99 completed follow-up CT at 12 months and 54 at 4.5 years. Dyspnea (33%) and fatigue (61%) remained common at 4.5 years; however, correlations between current symptoms and aCSS were weak. Greater severity of the initial disease and older age were strong predictors of CT abnormalities. Regression analysis showed a gradual reduction in ground glass opacities (GGO) severity over time, whereas parenchymal bands increased and were associated with initial severity as assessed by the WHO 8-point ordinal scale for clinical improvement. Mosaic attenuation decreased during follow-up, but remained associated with the severity of the initial COVID-19 episode.
conclusionsFrom 3 months to 4.5 years after hospitalization, GGO and mosaic attenuation decreased, whereas parenchymal bands increased, with minimal change beyond 12 months. CT abnormalities were associated with initial disease severity and age but showed little association with dyspnea or fatigue.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.