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The lung tissue of patients who became seriously ill after being infected with the corona virus usually recovers well. According to lung specialist Bram van den Borst of the Radboudumc university hospital in Nijmegen, recovery can be compared to recovery after severe pneumonia. He calls it “encouraging” that the lungs are recovering so well three months after COVID-19.<!– –>
The multidisciplinary aftercare polyclinic of the Radboud university medical center, specially designed for corona, was the first in the Netherlands to conduct scientific research into how people are doing who received COVID-19 during the first corona wave. The results presented show that the overall recovery after COVID-19 is better in patients who have been hospitalized than in patients who have experienced the disease at home. Almost all patients have complaints such as fatigue, shortness of breath and reduced quality of life. But patients who were not admitted feel worse.
According to lead researcher Van den Borst, this is logical: “Although this group had a relatively mild form of the disease, it has persistent complaints. Because they have these complaints, their doctor sends them to the aftercare clinic. So they end up there because things are not going well. However, we hardly find any abnormalities in the lungs in this group. More research is urgently needed into the complaints and treatment of this considerable group of people. ”<!– –>
Intensive care
Patients who have been nursed in hospital or who have ended up in intensive care automatically receive an invitation to the aftercare clinic. According to Van den Borst, the residual damage in the lung tissue is greatest after three months among patients who were in intensive care. However, because most hospital patients also receive help from physiotherapists and specialized nurses immediately after admission, they generally feel better after three months.
Radboudumc examined 124 patients with, among other things, a CT scan and a lung function test. At the aftercare clinic, patients with persistent complaints receive a treatment plan. The hospital will continue to monitor the studied group in the coming years.
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