Development of asthma-related symptoms in mild or moderate COVID-19 patients several months post infection: A descriptive case series from a pneumologist outpatient clinic

Abstract

Survivors of Coronavirus disease 2019 frequently experience an array of symptoms following discharge from hospital. The most common symptoms after severe COVID-19 disease and hospitalization are fatigue, breathlessness and joint pain. (C. A. et al. JAMA. 2020; 324(6):603-605. and S. W. et al. BMJ. 2021; 372:n136) However, medium and long-term symptoms experienced by patients with mild or moderate COVID-19 remain unclear. We retrospectively analyzed a descriptive case series of 46 patients monitored in an outpatient pneumologist’s clinic at three timepoints (one, three and six months) after COVID-19 infection. No patient had a medical history of allergies or asthma prior to infection, no patient was hospitalized and only one patient had a pneumonia during the acute phase of the disease. Upon recovery after one month patients showed asthma-related symptoms including fatigue (35%), cough (22%), tightness of chest (22%), abnormal spirometry (9%) and abnormal exhaled nitric oxide values (39%). Our case series demonstrates that long-lasting post COVID-19 symptoms are not restricted to severe disease or hospitalization but frequently also affect patients with initially mild to moderate disease. Symptom control and a focus on individual needs of rehabilitation care for COVID-19 survivors including those with mild to moderate disease should therefore be taken into consideration to encourage the best possible recovery.