Spirometric profile of patients in the chronic phase of Covid-19

Introduction: The SARS-CoV-2 virus that generates COVID-19 was the protagonist of the most impacting pandemic experienced by humanity. Responsible for thousands of infections, deaths and multisystem sequelae. The respiratory system, being the main route of viral contamination, was also the most compromised, with chronic repercussions regardless of the severity of the acute condition. Therefore, this article aims to critically review the studies that evaluated lung function through spirometry in the chronic phase of COVID-19. Methods: This is a systematic review carried out in six databases, where, through the PICO strategy in English, Spanish and Portuguese, articles that used spirometry as a pulmonary assessment instrument in patients in the post-acute phase of COVID-19 between the years 2020 and 2022. Four reviewers independently analyzed the works regarding data, methodology used and quality of publication. Results: Initially, a total of 2,205 articles related to the topic were searched, after careful selection 50 works were evaluated in full text, leaving 15 studies included in the review at the end. The data pointed to a higher prevalence of restrictive ventilatory disorders as the main pulmonary impairment after COVID-19.