Clinical Presentation and Diagnosis of Respiratory Symptoms During the COVID 19 Pandemic

초록

An introduction/rationale; Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has left a substantial impact on individuals' respiratory health. Some patients continue to experience respiratory symptoms even after the resolution of acute infection, raising questions about the potential link between COVID-19 and respiratory conditions such as asthma. While previous studies have not established a significant association between COVID-19 and asthma diagnosis, isolated reports suggest an emergence of new asthma cases after COVID-19. This study aims to investigate and compare the clinical features and final diagnoses of patients with respiratory symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.The methods; This retrospective study analyzed medical records of patients presenting with new respiratory symptoms between January 2022 and March 2023. The subjects were categorized into those with recent COVID-19 and those without. Clinical features, final diagnoses, and pulmonary function test results were assessed.The results: A total of 3,168 subjects were included, with a mean age of 58.26 ± 17.24 years. Among them, 842 (26.58%) had recent COVID19, while 2,326 (73.42%) did not. In the COVID-19 group, females were significantly more prevalent (61.6%, p < 0.001), and the mean age was significantly younger (53.45 ± 17.12 vs. 60.00 ± 16.95, p < 0.001). A total of 632 (19.95%) subjects were clinically diagnosed with asthma, with 150 (17.8%) in the COVID-19 group and 482 (20.7%) in the non-COVID-19 group, showing no statistical significance (p=0.07). Among patients diagnosed with asthma, no significant difference was observed in Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1) based on COVID-19 (2.54±0.69 vs. 2.49±0.82, p=0.445). Subacute cough was significantly more prevalent in the COVID-19 group (45.7% vs. 1.7%, p<0.001).Conclusions: Our findings suggest that asthma can be diagnosed after COVID-19 in a manner similar to other respiratory viral infections. Furthermore, the incidence of asthma diagnosis post-COVID-19 did not significantly differ from that in individuals without a history of COVID-19. Notably, subacute cough was significantly more common in individuals with recent COVID-19.