Lung Function in Young, Active Duty U.S. Marines After SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Infectious Diseases
• Military Health

Background:

• Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC), or long COVID, can affect young, healthy adults, potentially impacting military readiness.
• The COVID-19 Health Action Response for Marines (CHARM) study investigates PASC in the Marine Corps population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess pulmonary function in Marines following COVID-19 infection.
• To evaluate the association between acute and chronic COVID-19 symptoms and abnormal spirometry results.

Main Methods:

• Pulmonary function testing (PFT) using portable spirometry was conducted on Marine participants (N=889) from February 2021 to April 2022.
• Participants reported symptom severity (mild, moderate, severe) and duration (≥30 days for PASC).
• Statistical analyses correlated pulmonary symptoms with PFT outcomes.

Main Results:

• Among 798 COVID-19-positive Marines, 61% reported symptoms and 24.7% reported PASC.
• Significant reductions in FEV1/FVC, FVC, FEF25%-75%, and PEF were observed in participants with acute and chronic symptoms.
• Abnormal FVC scores were more prevalent in participants without a dry cough compared to those with a mild dry cough.

Conclusions:

• Chronic COVID-19 effects on lung function in young adults are understudied.
• Observed abnormalities in Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF) may indicate a gap between reported symptoms and objective findings.
• Findings provide a baseline for assessing future respiratory viral exposures and subclinical lung function changes.