Secondary organizing pneumonia associated with protracted COVID: A case series

Objectives: Immunocompromised B-cell-depleted patients are at risk of developing protracted COVID-19, a clinical syndrome characterized by prolonged viral shedding and respiratory symptoms that can lead to hypoxemic pneumonia. Our aim is to describe this unusual condition and its treatment.

Patients and methods: This monocentric retrospective study reports six cases of severe organizing pneumonia that developed during the clinical course of protracted COVID-19.

Results: All patients developed organizing pneumonia (OP) in the setting of protracted COVID. Clinical improvement was obtained after several treatment lines including specific antiviral agents and occurred simultaneously with control of the viral load.

Conclusion: As it was the most frequent presentation of protracted COVID-19 in our survey, we believe that this specific form of organizing pneumonia warrants increased awareness. Furthermore, specific antiviral therapy seems to control this condition.