Persistent Lung Damage Improves Gradually After COVID-19
The gradual improvement in lung damage after COVID-19 patients are discharged from the hospital suggests that structured follow-up care is beneficial.
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The vast majority of hospitalized COVID-19 patients show lung damage 6 weeks after discharge, but this proportion drops significantly after 12 weeks, suggesting that the lungs have a self-repair mechanism, researchers report.
"We know from other lung studies that lungs have the potential to recover from inflammation," said investigator Sabina Sahanic, MD, a clinical PhD student at University Clinic in Innsbruck, Austria. "Specialists knew we'd have to wait some weeks to clarify this and estimate how good the resolution is. And we are very happy to see a good resolution."