COVID 19, emphysema, and secondary pulmonary fibrosis: About a case report

Associations have been drawn between pre-existing diseases and adverse outcomes during the course of the ongoing coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the disease resulting from infection with recently identified severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Patients who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with the emphysema-hyperinflated phenotype are one of the population groups with basal risk comorbidities who may have a higher probability of developing secondary pulmonary fibrosis, even in the early stages of COVID-19, potentially leading to permanent adverse functional consequences and even death. The aim of this report was to investigate this pathophysiological association in order to examine potential therapeutic targets for use during the COVID-19 pandemic that could reduce future sequelae using an illustrative clinical case and the available literature.