How COVID-19 Affects Breathing: One Year after the Disease in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Objective: To assess the one-year dynamics of clinical and functional respiratory parameters in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) following SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19).
Material and methods: The study included 98 patients with stable COPD who had recovered from COVID-19 (Group 1) and 43 COPD patients without a history of confirmed COVID-19 (Group 2). Assessments were conducted at two timepoints: K1 (3 weeks to 3 months post-COVID-19) and K2 (12 months post-infection). All participants underwent quantitative dyspnea evaluation using the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale and spirometry.
Results: At baseline, Group 1 demonstrated significantly higher mMRC dyspnea scores compared to Group 2 (p<0.01), with a greater proportion of patients experiencing severe dyspnea. By K2, dyspnea intensity in Group 1 had decreased (p<0.05) but remained worse than in Group 2, and the relative risk of severe dyspnea remained elevated. Spirometric data revealed a strong association between FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 second), the severity of acute-phase lung involvement during COVID-19, and mMRC dyspnea severity. At baseline, FEV1 in Group 1 was 8.9% lower than in Group 2 (p>0.05). By K2, a trend toward improved bronchial patency was observed in Group 1, though no statistically significant differences in spirometric parameters were found between the two groups at this timepoint.
Conclusion: In COPD patients, one year after COVID-19 infection, there is a trend toward improvement in bronchial patency. However, the risk of severe dyspnea (as measured by the mMRC scale) remains significantly elevated at the 12-month mark.

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