Background. Patients, having had COVID-19, may experience respiratory symptoms for six months after infection and longer.

The aim was to analyze the effectiveness of therapy with inhaled corticosteroid budesonide in patients with COVID-19 after hospital discharge.

Methods. 32 patients were examined after discharge from the hospital, where they had been treated for the COVID-19, complicated by pneumonia. Budesonide (dosed powder inhaler) at a dose of 200 ?g twice a day was added to the treatment complex. Evaluation of the treatment effectiveness after 2 weeks and 1 month was performed using spirography, assessment of cough intensity by ?ough symptom score (CSS), shortness of breath (Borg scale), quality of life study (Ukrainian version of the questionnaire Medical Outcomes Study Short form 36 (MOS SF-36)).

Results. Against the background of the inhalations of budesonide during 1 month, the intensity of cough decreased from 3.75±0.97 to 0.69±0.07 points (?<0.01), which means cough for one short period. Shortness of breath decreased from 4,75±0.91 to 1.55±0.09 points (?<0.05)), the respiratory rate ? up to 18.97±3.23/min (?<0.05). FVC increased at 26.77±3.15% (p<0.01), FEV1 ? at 29.18±3.07% (p<0.05). Quality of life increased on the 14th day of treatment (physical component at 9±1.94 points (p<0.05), mental component at 4.29±1.6 points ((p<0.05).

Conclusion. The use of budesonide by patients with coronavirus disease within 1 month after discharge from the hospital, contributed to a decrease of severity of respiratory symptoms, an increase of pulmonary ventilation indices, and an improvement of physical and psychological components of the life quality.