Abstract

It was established that the mortality rate is 1.87% among discharged patients (n=266) one year after suffering moderate and severe COVID-19. In 9.39% (n=25) the diagnosis of post-COVID-19 interstitial lung disease (ILD) was established for the first time. In 76% (n=19) of post-COVID-19 ILD is presented as a separate respiratory pathology in the form of a post-COVID-19 syndrome after suffering severe COVID-19, in 16% (n=4) as the debut of systemic connective tissue disease due to COVID-19, and in 8% (n=2) post-COVID-19 ILD as a manifestation of chronic ILD against the background of COVID-19 that was not diagnosed in time before the pandemic. In post-COVID-19 ILD, a radiological pattern (RP) of fibrosis-like changes was established in 64% (n=16), and in 36%, the formation of a RP of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) was noted, which in most cases was associated with systemic connective tissue disease (n=4) and with other chronic ILD (n=2). It was found that CIPAP respiratory support did not significantly affect the presence of a RP of PF (p=0.774) and the progression of post-COVID-19 ILD (p=0.146). No significant relationship was found between the presence of a RP of PF and the gender of patients (p=1.000 and p=0.146, respectively, according to the binomial test), and no significant relationship was found between the presence of a RP of PF and age (p=0.881 or p=0.885). It was found that the use of Nintedanib (n=9) "off label" for 3 months during the long COVID-19 did not significantly affect both the RP of PF (p=1,000) and post-COVID-19 progression ILD (p=0.180), as well as the absence of a significant effect of Nintedanib on the indicator of the drop in saturation after 6MWT (p=0.411 or p=0.329) and on the dyspnea index after 6MWT (p=0.451 or p=0.422).