ARE COVID-19 PNEUMONIA FINDINGS DIFFERENT BETWEEN COMORBID AND NON-COMORBID PATIENTS? THE HIGH RESOLUTION COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY FEATURES OF THE 108 FOLLOW-UP PATIENTS.

Abstract

The aim was to compare the computed tomography (CT) semi-quantitative severity scoring (CT-SS) system assessments of COVID-19 pneumonia on initial and follow-up examinations according to the presence of comorbidities. Of the 278 real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction positive patients, 108 with a follow-up CT scan were evaluated. Then, all CT images were independently reviewed for CT-SS analysis by two reviewers. Reviewers were unaware of the patient laboratory and clinical findings. A quarter of patients had negative findings on their initial CTs. Sixty-one (56.4%) patients showed progression. Disease progression was more frequently observed in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and malignancies (p=0.044 and p=0.019, respectively). Follow-up CTs of patients with comorbidities, especially those with cardiovascular disease (56.4%) and type 2 DM (70.0%), demonstrated an increased frequency of diffuse involvement. The white lung sign was more frequently observed in patients with malignancies (60.0%). In this study, COVID-19 patients with comorbidity showed a higher rate of disease progression than those without comorbidity. Patients with comorbidities more frequently had severe CT findings with high CT-SS. These findings may serve as a guide in the COVID-19 pneumonia follow-up and treatment.