Structural, functional and inflammatory evaluation of the lungs in patients after infection with SARS-CoV-2 without previous lung disease

A new Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is the etiologic agent of the disease called COVID-19, is causing thousands of mild, moderate and severe infections worldwide and is the cause of the biggest pandemic in the last 50 years. We do not know how many people have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, because many are asymptomatic, nor do we understand why some individuals have mild symptoms while others have severe illness. We also do not understand why some individuals with mild and moderate forms can have great acute pulmonary involvement, without the need for admission to the ICU and with clinical recovery. As for SARS -CoV-2, it is known that it fixes, multiplies and spreads a lot in the pulmonary airways, which could cause sequelae even in mild and moderate forms of COVID-19. Objective: To verify whether children and adolescents who had mild, moderate and severe forms, and adults with mild and moderate forms of COVID-19, present changes in lung structure, lung function and clinical and psychological impact on quality of life, resilience, anxiety and depression, six months after the disease. Casuistry and methods: An observational, analytical, prospective cross-sectional study will be carried out with patients who had COVID-19. The following tools will be used to assess the structure, lung function and clinical and psychological impact of the disease: high-resolution computed tomography of the chest, chest ultrasound; spirometry, impulse oscillometry system (IOS), plethysmography, measurement of the exhaled fraction of nitric oxide (FeNO), measurement of transcutaneous hemoglobin oxygen saturation, manuvacuometry, six-minute walk test (6MWT) and standardized tests on quality of life, depression and anxiety. The numerical variables will be analyzed by obtaining measures of central tendency as mean and median, as well as by measures of variability such as standard deviation and variance. All statistical tests that are used will be performed considering a significance level of 5% (pd0.05). The project is being submitted to the Institution's Ethics Committee. The main goal of this study will be to verify lung changes in subjects who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 and had COVID19. We believe that we will be able to find changes, which will be possible to be managed, to improve the health and the quality of life and the health of these individuals. The research may provide an understanding of pulmonary impairment and temporal sequelae caused by an inflammatory response caused by COVID-19, even in mild cases. Based on this understanding, it is intended to develop strategies to delay and minimize sequelae from COVID-19, reducing the deterioration of lung structure and function. Keywords: pulmonary function, COVID-19, quality of life, spirometry. (AU)