Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate various HRCT (High Resolution Computed Tomography) chest findings in COVID-19 patients of young, middle and old age groups and to determine the association of findings with age. Methods This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study conducted among 78 proven RTPCR positive patients who underwent HRCT chest in age groups of 18 and above at the Department of Radiology, Sagar Hospitals, Bangalore, from June 2020 to June 2021 after obtaining clearance from the institutional ethics committee and written informed consent from the study participants. Results On HRCT chest, the two most predominant types of lesions in the young age group were pure GGO and mixed GGO with interlobular thickening; in the middle-aged group, mixed GGO with airspace opacification; and in the older age group, mixed GGO with airspace opacification and mixed GGO with complete consolidation. With respect to the number of lesions, they were few in the younger age group and extensive in the middle and older age groups. In the young and middle age groups, the most common distribution of findings was peripherally, whereas in the older age group it was mixed (peripheral and central). Small-sized lesions were the most common in all three age groups. Additionally, there was a slight preponderance to the right and left lower lobes compared to bilateral upper lobes and the right middle lobe in all three age groups. There was a ignificant association between age and the predominant type of lung lesions, their distribution and the number of lesions. No significant association between age and size of lesions, mediastinal lymphadenopathy, pleural effusion, or pleural thickening was noted. Various HRCT findings in different age groups showed different patterns of involvement in these age groups, with the severity of the disease being milder in the younger age group and worse in the older age group. The lesions in the younger age group were of lesser density, fewer numbers, smaller size and showed peripheral distribution compared to the middle and older age groups, who demonstrated increased density of the lesions with a mixed distribution and extensive numbers while the size remained the same in all age groups. Our study showed a significant association between age and lung lesions type, distribution and number in these variable age groups.

Description