2Office based Physician, Chest Diseases, Istanbul, Turkey DOI : 10.29400/tjgeri.2024.398 Background: There is not enough information about the long-term effects of COVID-19 infection in those who have recovered. According to epidemiological studies, COVID-19 progresses less severely in countries where the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine is regularly applied than in those where it is not. The purified protein derivative of tuberculin is an indicator of the Bacillus Calmette- Guerin vaccine"s protective effectiveness against latent tuberculosis. In our study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between latent tuberculosisand the permanent effects of COVID-19.Our objective was to analyze the long-term relationship between latent tuberculosisand COVID-19.
Materials and Method: We included all clinical, laboratory, and radiological baseline data of patients who were hospitalised for COVID-19 pneumonia between 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic in our study and compared them with data from six months later.
Results: Although there was no statistically significant correlation between purified protein derivative of tuberculin positivity and the long-term effects of COVID-19 (p = 0.084), age exhibited a statistically significant relationship with the presence of post-COVID-19 sequelae (p = 0.004). Patients with chronic pulmonary disease displayed a significantly greater percentage of symptoms (p=0.005).
Conclusion: We could not find any relationship between purified protein derivative of -tuberculin latent tuberculosis infection and long COVID-19 symptoms. We observed sequelae lesions more frequently in the follow-up of elderly patients. Post-COVID-19 symptoms were more common in patients with chronic lung disease. Thus, it is recommended to prioritise radiological and clinical follow-up in elderly patients and those with chronic lung conditions.
Keywords : Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome, Latent Tuberculosis, COVID-19, Aged