COVID-19 Related Lung Ventilation and Perfusion Injury

Little is currently known about the immediate and long-term effect of COVID-19 on lung ventilation (delivery of air to the lungs) and lung perfusion (delivery of blood to the lungs). Some people who survive COVID-19 may have lung ventilation and/or perfusion injury that persists following COVID-19 recovery. This lung injury may be related to inflammation in the lung, breathlessness, exercise limitation and reduced quality of life. Therefore, towards the goal of understanding the effects of COVID-19 on lung health, the purpose of this study is to characterize and understand the clinical relevance of COVID-19 related lung ventilation and perfusion injury and associated inflammatory status, ≤4 weeks and 6-months following COVID-19 recovery in an asthmatic and healthy population. To do this, an asthmatic and healthy population who have, and have not, been previously diagnosed with COVID-19 will be studied.