ct scan findings in patients with covid-19: a comparison study between vaccinated and non-vaccinated

Background: computed tomography (ct) scan findings of patients with and without vaccination can enhance the current understanding of the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing pneumonia and other complications of covid-19 in the lungs. objectives: this study aimed to compare chest ct scan findings in vaccinated and unvaccinated patients with covid-19. methods: this study included patients aged 20 to 50 years diagnosed via polymerase chain reaction (pcr) at university hospitals in zahedan. patients were selected based on predefined inclusion criteria, with no exclusion criteria applied.participants with conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, immune disorders, hyperlipidemia, or vasculitis — which could interfere with the interpretation of radiological findings — were excluded from the study. additionally, individuals with incomplete medical records or missing ct imaging were also excluded.demographic information and vaccination status were collected from medical records and confirmed through follow-up calls when necessary. chest ct findings were documented using prepared checklists according to radiologists' reports. participants were categorized into three groups: fully vaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, and unvaccinated. data analysis was conducted using spss version 22 software to assess outcomes across the groups, considering a p-value of 0.05 as the significance level. results: a total of 189 patients with an average age of 35.71 ± 6.56 years were included in the study, of whom 109 patients (57.7%) were female and the rest were male. the most common finding in the ct scans was ground-glass opacity (ggo), observed in 146 patients (77.2%).there was a significant difference in the frequency of consolidation, bronchial wall thickening, ggo, halo sign, and reverse halo sign among the three groups (in all cases, p < 0.001). the highest prevalence was observed in unvaccinated patients and the lowest in fully vaccinated patients. there was also a significant difference in the percentage of lung involvement among the three groups (p < 0.001), with the highest lung involvement observed in the unvaccinated group and the lowest in the fully vaccinated group. conclusions: based on the results obtained in the present study, vaccination against covid-19 reduces the severity of the radiological manifestations of this disease.