{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,13]],"date-time":"2026-05-13T04:10:04Z","timestamp":1778645404973,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,29]],"date-time":"2025-04-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1745884800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Science Centre, Poland","award":["2020\/37\/B\/NZ7\/03380"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2020\/37\/B\/NZ7\/03380"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Despite the multiple waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, follow-up strategies for recovered patients remain inconclusive. This study aimed to evaluate chest computed tomography (CT) and pulmonary function test (PFT) abnormalities in convalescents six months after COVID-19 and to compare these findings with those from a representative population cohort. The goal was to support more individualized pulmonary management of post-COVID-19 sequelae. Methods: This study population consisted of 2 groups: I\u2014232 post-COVID-19 patients and II\u2014543 patients from a population cohort. Chest CT was performed during the acute phase of COVID-19 and six months after. The PFTs were conducted six months after COVID-19. Results: There were no significant differences in FEV1, FVC, TLC, and DLCO in the two study groups. A singular GGO in 24 patients (20%), a crazy paving pattern in 1 patient (0.8%), thickening of interlobular septa in 4 patients (3.5%), consolidations in 4 patients (3.5%), traction bronchiectasis in 6 patients (5%), fibrosis in 6 patients (5%), and singular nodular densities in 68 patients (58%) were observed in chest CT 6 months after COVID-19. Most radiological abnormalities were clinically insignificant and did not require further diagnostic evaluation. No significant differences in chest CT and PFT six months after infection were observed between patients differing in the severity of inflammation during the acute disease or SARS-CoV-2 variant. Conclusions: The majority of chest CT abnormalities resolved within six months of recovery, regardless of SARS-CoV-2 variant or initial disease severity. Pulmonary function tests should be prioritized in post-COVID-19 follow-up, as PFT results in convalescents were comparable to those observed in the general population.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina61050823","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,4]],"date-time":"2025-05-04T20:42:37Z","timestamp":1746391357000},"page":"823","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Assessment of the Abnormalities in Chest Computed Tomography and Pulmonary Function Test in Convalescents Six Months After COVID-19"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"61","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2646-364X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Katarzyna","family":"Guziejko","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"2nd Department of Lung Diseases, Lung Cancer and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-089 Bialystok, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3994-8785","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna","family":"Moniuszko-Malinowska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases and Neuroinfections, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-089 Bialystok, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3394-1635","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Robert","family":"Flisiak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-089 Bialystok, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0072-2180","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Piotr","family":"Czupryna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases and Neuroinfections, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-089 Bialystok, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sebastian","family":"So\u0142omacha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Population Medicine and Lifestyle Diseases Prevention, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-089 Bialystok, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8357-5816","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pawe\u0142","family":"Sowa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Population Medicine and Lifestyle Diseases Prevention, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-089 Bialystok, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5977-0745","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marlena","family":"Dubat\u00f3wka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Population Medicine and Lifestyle Diseases Prevention, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-089 Bialystok, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Magda","family":"\u0141api\u0144ska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Population Medicine and Lifestyle Diseases Prevention, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-089 Bialystok, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0712-3260","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"\u0141ukasz","family":"Kiszkiel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Society and Cognition Unit, University of Bialystok, 15-328 Bialystok, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"\u0141ukasz","family":"Szczerbi\u0144ski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Research Centre, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-089 Bialystok, Poland"},{"name":"Department of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-089 Bialystok, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8512-607X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Piotr Pawe\u0142","family":"Laskowski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Society and Cognition Unit, University of Bialystok, 15-328 Bialystok, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0290-4217","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maciej","family":"Alimowski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School of Social Sciences, University of Bialystok, 15-328 Bialystok, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-1041-5500","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gabriela","family":"Trojan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases and Neuroinfections, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-089 Bialystok, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9465-2581","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Karol Adam","family":"Kami\u0144ski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Population Medicine and Lifestyle Diseases Prevention, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-089 Bialystok, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"328","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pulmoe.2020.10.013","article-title":"Respiratory function in patients post-infection by COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"27","author":"Burgos","year":"2021","journal-title":"Pulmonology"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106709","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rmed.2021.106709","article-title":"Severity of respiratory failure and computed chest tomography in acute COVID-19 correlates 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