Investigation of the Pulmonary Function of Patients with Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Following COVID-19 Infection

Aims and background: In this present study, we aimed to investigate the pulmonary function of patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) following coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Materials and methods: All data of 266 COVID-19 patients with and without a history of asthma/COPD who were referred to the Razi Hospital, Rasht, Iran, from 2021 to 2022 were collected. Patient self-assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on health using the COPD assessment test (CAT) score criterion in both study groups, asthma control test (ACT) in asthma patients, and modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) in COPD patients were evaluated. All data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 with a significant level of <0.05. Result: According to our results, the mean age of patients was 51.7 +/- 14.1 years old; 51% of them were female, and most of the patients were obese. Hypertension and diabetes were the most common comorbidities. The frequency of 6-minute walking test (6MWT) was higher in patients with asthma/COPD at the time of discharge. From the first to second and third follow-ups, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) increased in asthma/COPD groups, and FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) decreased in the control group. Also, the CAT score in the first and second followups was worse in asthma/COPD groups compared to the control group. In both studied groups, the self-evaluation of patients using all three questionnaires shows a significant improvement process. Conclusion: A significant improvement in shortness of breath and self-assessment tests was observed in patients with asthma/COPD. However, the results of the 6MWT and self-assessment tests at the time of discharge in these patients were more concerning compared to the control group. Clinical significance: Patients with asthma/COPD were at a similar risk of COVID-19 infection compared to the general population. Females and obese individuals were the majority of the patients. FEV1 in asthma/COPD groups showed improvement in long-term follow-up.