Interstitial lung disease ‘ups risk of severe COVID-19’

Researchers have teased out the impact of various lung conditions on susceptibility to the pandemic in a population-based study

Patients with interstitial lung disease are at greater risk of acquiring and succumbing to severe COVID-19 compared with peers who don’t have the condition, a large study finds.

The research also suggests that fibrotic scarring of the lungs may increase patients’ susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection, say the study authors from South Korea.