Introduction: Post COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease2019) pulmonary fibrosis (PCPF) is a common Covid-19 sequela, the risk factors, treatment and prognosis being unknown, needing further studies for investigation.

Aims and objectives: This study aims to evaluate the risk factors for developing PCPF.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study on a group of 85 patients admitted in the Pneumology Hospital of Constanta on the year 2022. The patients were hospitalized for COVID-19 and later were evaluated at 3 months after the acute episode. The collected data included socio-demographic aspects, comorbidities, clinical status, biologic, and imagistic investigations.

Results:  From the patients analyzed, 34 (40%) develop PCPF visible on the CT (computer tomography) scan performed at 3 months after the acute episode. The average age was 72 years, 17 patients (50%) having being between 70 to 79 years old. The male gender was dominant. The most common comorbidities were arterial hypertension (41.17%), diabetes (26.47%), COPD (23.52%). Regarding the COVID-19 severity, 26 patients (76.47%) had severe form of the disease at the initial CT investigation, the others having moderate form. During the hospitalization for the acute episode 88.23 % patients who later developed PCPF required oxygen therapy. Other common risk factors found were smoking in 61.76% and alcohol consumption in 38.25% of cases. 82.35% had persistent inflammatory syndrome, with increased fibrinogen, C reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).

Conclusions: COVID-19 can cause PCPF, the risk factors that can rise an alarm signal being male gender, increased age, smoking, severe form of COVID-19, persistent inflammatory syndrome.