Natália de Souza Xavier Costa, Gabriel Ribeiro Júnior, Ellen Caroline Toledo do Nascimento, Jôse Mara de Brito, Leila Antonangelo, Caroline Silvério Faria, Jhonatas Sirino Monteiro, João Carlos Setubal, João Renato Rebello Pinho, Roberta Verciano Pereira, Marilia Seelaender, Gabriela Salim de Castro, Joanna D C C Lima, Renata Aparecida de Almeida Monteiro, Amaro Nunes Duarte-Neto, Paulo Hilário Nascimento Saldiva, Luiz Fernando Ferraz da Silva, Marisa Dolhnikoff, Thais Mauad
BACKGROUND: Lung fibrosis is a major concern in severe COVID-19 patients undergoing mechanical ventilation (MV). Lung fibrosis frequency in post-COVID syndrome is highly variable and even if the risk is proportionally small, many patients could be affected. However, there is still no data on lung extracellular matrix (ECM) composition in severe COVID-19 and whether it is different from other aetiologies of ARDS. METHODS: We have quantified different ECM elements and TGF-β expression in lung tissue of 28 fatal COVID-19 cases and compared to 27 patients that died of other causes of ARDS, divided according to MV duration (up to six days or seven days or more)...
November 14, 2023: Respiratory Research