Study uncovers clues to dyspnoea in long COVID
UK research using a specialised MRI technique has revealed abnormalities in gas transfer for patients who have otherwise normal lung imaging
An MRI technique has revealed lung abnormalities in patients with lasting breathlessness after COVID-19 that cannot be seen on traditional imaging, according to a small study.
The UK researchers wanted to find out the extent to which lung damage and post-COVID fibrosis may account for dyspnoea in a small group of patients whose X-rays, CT scans and lung function tests are normal or near normal.
The study assessed 23 patients with shortness of breath lasting for months after COVID-19.
The group included 11 who had not required hospitalisation for whom imaging was normal, the University of Oxford-led research team said.
