COVID-19 Recovery May Not Mean the End, Many Exposed to SARS-CoV-2 Face Risk of Permanent Lung Damage
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Dec 26, 2025 2 hours, 5 minutes ago
Medical News: Many people believe that once they recover from COVID-19, the illness is fully behind them. However, a major international scientific review now warns that for a large number of survivors, COVID-19 may leave behind serious and long-lasting lung damage. Researchers say this hidden aftermath could affect breathing and quality of life for years. This
Medical News report explains how COVID-19 is increasingly linked to a chronic lung condition known as interstitial lung disease, or ILD, which causes progressive scarring of the lungs.
COVID-19 survivors may carry hidden lung scarring that affects breathing long after recovery
Who Carried Out the Research?
The review was conducted by scientists from the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Genoa in Italy, the Department of Pathology at Wadia Hospital for Children in Mumbai India, Clalit Health Service in Tel Aviv Israel, the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the United States, and the National Institute for Health Research Unit at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust in London United Kingdom. The team examined medical studies and clinical reports published between 2020 and 2025.
How COVID-19 Damages Lung Tissue
The researchers found that severe COVID-19 infection can trigger intense inflammation deep inside the lungs. As the body attempts to repair this damage, normal lung tissue may be replaced with stiff scar tissue. This process reduces the lungs’ ability to transfer oxygen into the blood, leading to breathlessness, fatigue, chronic cough, and reduced physical stamina. The review reports that nearly 45 percent of patients with severe COVID-19 show signs of lung scarring on advanced imaging scans.
People Most at Risk
Not all COVID-19 survivors face the same level of danger. Older adults, men, smokers, and patients who required oxygen or ventilator support were found to be at much higher risk. Those who developed pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome during their infection were especially vulnerable. In many cases, lung damage persisted months after the initial illness had resolved.
What Doctors Are Finding in Lung Scans
High-resolution CT scans reveal telltale signs of post-COVID lung injury, including cloudy areas known as ground-glass opacities, thickened lung walls, and fibrotic patterns. These findings help doctors assess whether lung damage is improving, stabilizing, or worsening. Some patients slowly recover, but others continue to lose lung function over time.
Treatment Challenges and New Options
At present, there are no official treatment guidelines for post-COVID ILD. Doctors commonly use corticosteroids to reduce inflammation, along with oxygen therapy and pulmonary rehabilitation. Antifibrotic medications such as pirfenidone and nintedanib are increasingly being prescribed to slow lung scarring. A newer drug called nerandomilast has also shown promise in slowing lung funct
ion decline in fibrotic lung disease.
Why Follow Up Care Is Essential
The researchers stress that many survivors may feel normal while lung damage quietly progresses. Without regular lung function tests and imaging, the condition may go undetected until symptoms become severe. Early diagnosis allows doctors to start treatment sooner and potentially slow long-term damage.
Conclusions
The findings make it clear that COVID-19 can have lasting consequences long after the virus itself is gone. Post-COVID interstitial lung disease may remain stable in some patients but can progressively worsen in others, leading to lifelong breathing problems. Long-term monitoring, early intervention, and expanded access to antifibrotic therapies are essential to reduce permanent disability and improve outcomes for COVID-19 survivors worldwide.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Medicina
https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/62/1/22
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Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/coronavirus
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/long-covid
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