Severe COVID leads to higher risk of pulmonary fibrosis: research – CBC

Condition is usually fairly mild but scarred lungs can increase severity, respirologist says

Apr 08, 2024

For Vancouver resident Farrell Eckman, having a long conversation or attending a workout class without breaking into coughs is a major accomplishment.

The 50-year-old is one of many people who researchers say developed pulmonary fibrosis — a condition that thickens the tissue in lungs and can affect breathing — after experiencing a severe case of COVID-19.

In January 2022, Eckman was admitted to Vancouver General Hospital because she was having trouble breathing along with flu-like symptoms.

“I spent over a month in ICU. I was on a ventilator. Not once, but twice. [My family] thought they were gonna lose me,” she recalled. “It was the scariest time we’ve ever been through.”

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-severe-covid-pulmonary-fibrosis-1.7163650