Imaging, Pulmonary Function, and Histopathologic Findings of Persistent Fibrosis in a Longitudinal Cohort Three Years after Severe COVID-19 Infection.

Fibrotic-like abnormalities are present in 60% of a single-center, longitudinal, multi-ethnic cohort 3-years after severe COVID-19. They are independently associated with male sex, low BMI, shorter telomere length, increased severity of illness, and mechanical ventilation; Black race and asthma are protective. Participants with fibrotic-like abnormalities are more likely to have reduced diffusion capacity and 6-minute walk distance.

Clinical Impact of Telomere Length Testing for Interstitial Lung Disease.

Background: Shortened telomere length (TL) is a genomic risk factor for fibrotic interstitial lung disease (ILD), but its role in clinical management is unknown.

Research Question: What is the clinical impact of TL testing on the management of ILD?

Study Design And Methods: Patients were evaluated in the Columbia University ILD clinic and underwent Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments-certified TL testing by flow cytometry and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FlowFISH) as part of clinical treatment. Short TL was defined as below the 10th age-adjusted percentile for either granulocytes or lymphocytes by FlowFISH.