Projects

A Delphi consensus statement for the management of post-COVID interstitial lung disease.

Groups and Associations Hadda V, Suri TM, Iyer H, Jain A, Mittal S, Madan K, Mohan A, Seith Bhalla A, Sindhwani G, Dutt N, Venkatnarayan K, Nath A, Dhooria S, Kumar R, Marwah V, Karmakar S, Chaudhry D, Ayub II, Dwivedi DP, Tiwari P, Koul P, Behera AK, Saxena P, Sengupta A, Mohapatra PR, Goyal A, Christopher DJ, Guleria R.
Expert Rev Respir Med 2022

Abstract

Introduction: As millions of people worldwide recover from COVID-19, a substantial proportion continue to have persistent symptoms, pulmonary function abnormalities, and radiological findings suggestive of post-COVID interstitial lung disease (ILD). To date, there is limited scientific evidence on the management of post-COVID ILD, necessitating a consensus-based approach.

Areas covered: A panel of experts in pulmonology and thoracic radiology was constituted. Key questions regarding the management of post-COVID ILD were identified. A search was performed on PubMed and EMBASE and updated till 1 March 2022. The relevant literature regarding the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of post-COVID ILD was summarized. Subsequently, suggestions regarding the management of these patients were framed, and a consensus was obtained using the Delphi approach. Those suggestions which were approved by over 80% of the panelists were accepted. The final document was approved by all panel members.

Expert opinion: Dedicated facilities should be established for the care of patients with post-COVID ILD. Symptom screening, pulmonary function testing, and thoracic imaging have a role in the diagnosis. The pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic options for the management of post-COVID ILD are discussed. Further research into the pathophysiology and management of post-COVID ILD will improve our understanding of this condition.

Book