@article {Jutant00479-2021, author = {Etienne-Marie Jutant and Olivier Meyrignac and Antoine Beurnier and Xavier Ja{\"\i}s and Tai Pham and Luc Morin and Ath{\'e}na{\"\i}s Boucly and Sophie Bulifon and Samy Figueiredo and Anatole Harrois and Mitja Jevnikar and Nicolas No{\"e}l and J{\'e}r{\'e}mie Pichon and Anne Roche and Andrei Seferian and Samer Soliman and Jacques Duranteau and Laurent Becquemont and Xavier Monnet and Olivier Sitbon and Marie-France Bellin and Marc Humbert and Laurent Savale and David Montani}, editor = {,}, title = {Respiratory symptoms and radiologic findings in post-acute COVID-19 syndrome}, elocation-id = {00479-2021}, year = {2021}, doi = {10.1183/23120541.00479-2021}, publisher = {European Respiratory Society}, abstract = {Rationale The characteristics of patients with respiratory complaints and/or lung radiologic abnormalities after hospitalisation for COVID-19 are unknown. The objectives were to determine their characteristics and the relationships between dyspnoea, radiologic abnormalities and functional impairment.Methods In the COMEBAC cohort study, 478 hospital survivors were evaluated by telephone 4 months after hospital discharge, and 177 who had been hospitalised in an intensive care unit (ICU) or presented relevant symptoms underwent an ambulatory evaluation. New-onset dyspnoea and cough were evaluated, and the results of pulmonary function tests, high-resolution computed tomography of the chest were collected.Results Among the 478 patients, 78 (16.3\%) reported new-onset dyspnoea, and 23 (4.8\%) new-onset cough. The patients with new-onset dyspnoea were younger (56.1{\textpm}12.3 versus 61.9{\textpm}16.6 years), had more severe COVID-19 (ICU admission 56.4\% versus 24.5\%) and more frequent pulmonary embolism (18.0\% versus 6.8\%) (all p<=0.001) than patients without dyspnoea. Among the patients reassessed at the ambulatory care visit, the prevalence of fibrotic lung lesions was 19.3\%, with extent \<25\% in 97\% of the patients. The patients with fibrotic lesions were older (61{\textpm}11 versus 56{\textpm}14 years, p=0.03), more frequently managed in ICU (87.9 versus 47.4\%, p\<0.001), had lower total lung capacity (74.1{\textpm}13.7 versus 84.9{\textpm}14.8\%pred, p\<0.001) and diffusing lung capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) (73.3{\textpm}17.9 versus 89.7{\textpm}22.8\%pred, p\<0.001). The combination of new-onset dyspnoea, fibrotic lesions and DLCO \<70\%pred was observed in 8/478 patients.Conclusions New-onset dyspnoea and mild fibrotic lesions were frequent at 4 months, but the association of new-onset dyspnoea, fibrotic lesions and low DLCO was rare.FootnotesThis manuscript has recently been accepted for publication in the ERJ Open Research. It is published here in its accepted form prior to copyediting and typesetting by our production team. After these production processes are complete and the authors have approved the resulting proofs, the article will move to the latest issue of the ERJOR online. Please open or download the PDF to view this article.Conflict of interest: Etienne-Marie Jutant has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Olivier Meyrignac has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Antoine Beurnier has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Xavier Ja{\"\i}s has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Tai Pham has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Luc Morin has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Ath{\'e}na{\"\i}s Boucly has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Sophie Bulifon has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Samy Figueiredo has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Anatole Harrois has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Mitja Jevnikar has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Nicolas No{\"e}l has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: J{\'e}r{\'e}mie Pichon has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Anne Roche has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Andrei Seferian has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Samer Soliman has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Jacques Duranteau has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Laurent Becquemont has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Xavier Monnet has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Olivier Sitbon has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Marie-France Bellin has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Marc Humbert has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Laurent Savale has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: David Montani has nothing to disclose.}, URL = {https://openres.ersjournals.com/content/early/2021/11/04/23120541.00479-2021}, eprint = {https://openres.ersjournals.com/content/early/2021/11/04/23120541.00479-2021.full.pdf}, journal = {ERJ Open Research} }