Evaluation of lung function in survivors of SARS COVID-19

Abstract

Having contracted SARS-CoV-19 is one of the predisposing factors for altered respiratory function in patients, which can result in severe sequelae. This research focuses on evaluating respiratory function after contracting SARS-CoV-19, through the analysis of spirometric patterns and symptoms in those who exhibited abnormal spirometric responses, as an indicator of the severity of the outcomes. To evaluate the respiratory pattern, a portable digital spirometer, ESPIROBANK II, was used with a sample of 132 people who contracted the virus in 2020 and 2021 and were treated at the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santa Ana. The approach was quantitative and descriptive. The results, evaluated by a pulmonology specialist, showed functional alterations in the respiratory pattern: mild obstructive pattern in 31% of patients, moderate in 6%, and severe in 19%. Additionally, a mild restrictive pattern was identified in 19% of cases, along with small airway impairment in 19%. In conclusion, the population that had Covid-19 presented an obstructive respiratory pattern, ranging from mild to severe, after the illness.