tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Ann Palliat Med
. 2023 Mar 24;apm-22-1143.
doi: 10.21037/apm-22-1143. Online ahead of print.
Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation programme improves physical health and quality of life in post-COVID syndrome
Zsofia Szarvas[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Monika Fekete[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Rita Horvath[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Maya Shimizu[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Fuko Tsuhiya[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Ha Eun Choi[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Katica Kup[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Vince Fazekas-Pongor[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kinga Nedda Pete[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Renata Cserjesi[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Regina Bakos[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Orsolya Gobel[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Orsolya Kovacs[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Kata Gyongyosi[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Renata Pinter[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Zsuzsanna Kovats[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Zoltan Ungvari[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Stefano Tarantini[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Gabor Horvath[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Veronika Muller[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Janos Tamas Varga[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Many patients with previous COVID-19 infection suffer from prolonged symptoms after their recovery: cough, dyspnea, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, anxiety or depression, regardless of milder or severe coronavirus infection. Review of the literature demonstrates underrepresented complex cardiopulmonary rehabilitation of patients with post-COVID syndrome. The aim of our quasi-experimental study was to evaluate the effectiveness of complex cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and to assess the quality of life, functional parameters before and after a 14-day specific cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and two months later.
Methods: Sixty-eight patients participated in rehabilitation at Semmelweis University's Department of Pulmonology. Respiratory function: forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1%pred), 6-minute walk test (6MWT), chest kinematics (CK), quality of life [EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D), Post-COVID-19 Functional Status (PCFS)] and Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale were measured at the beginning and end of the programme and two months after the rehabilitation.
Results: The 14-day rehabilitation programme resulted in significant improvement of 6MWT {492 [interquartile range (IQR), 435-547] vs. 523 (IQR, 477-580) m; P=0.031}, mMRC [1 (IQR, 0.25-1) vs. 0 (IQR, 0-1); P=0.003], EQ-VAS score [75 (IQR, 65-80) vs. 85 (IQR, 75-90); P=0.015], and PCFS [1 (IQR, 1-2) vs. 0.5 (IQR, 0-1); P=0.032]. Respiratory function and chest kinematics also improved, FEV1(%pred) [86 (IQR, 73-103) vs. 91 (IQR, 80-99); P=0.360], chest kinematics [3.5 (IQR, 2.75-4.25) vs. 4 (IQR, 1-5.25) cm; P=0.296], and breath-holding test (BHT) [33 (IQR, 23-44) vs. 41 (IQR, 28-58) s; P=0.041].
Conclusions: Complex cardiopulmonary rehabilitation improved workload, quality of life, respiratory function, complaints and clinical status of patients with post-COVID syndrome. Personalized complex pulmonary rehabilitation can be beneficial and recommended for patients suffer from post-COVID syndrome, who have good potential for recovery and are able to participate in the two weeks complex pulmonary rehabilitation.
Keywords: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19); dyspnea; fatigue; pulmonary rehabilitation; quality of life.
. 2023 Mar 24;apm-22-1143.
doi: 10.21037/apm-22-1143. Online ahead of print.
Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation programme improves physical health and quality of life in post-COVID syndrome
Zsofia Szarvas[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Monika Fekete[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Rita Horvath[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Maya Shimizu[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Fuko Tsuhiya[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Ha Eun Choi[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Katica Kup[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Vince Fazekas-Pongor[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kinga Nedda Pete[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Renata Cserjesi[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Regina Bakos[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Orsolya Gobel[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Orsolya Kovacs[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Kata Gyongyosi[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Renata Pinter[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Zsuzsanna Kovats[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Zoltan Ungvari[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Stefano Tarantini[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Gabor Horvath[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Veronika Muller[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Janos Tamas Varga[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 37038060
- DOI: 10.21037/apm-22-1143
Abstract
Background: Many patients with previous COVID-19 infection suffer from prolonged symptoms after their recovery: cough, dyspnea, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, anxiety or depression, regardless of milder or severe coronavirus infection. Review of the literature demonstrates underrepresented complex cardiopulmonary rehabilitation of patients with post-COVID syndrome. The aim of our quasi-experimental study was to evaluate the effectiveness of complex cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and to assess the quality of life, functional parameters before and after a 14-day specific cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and two months later.
Methods: Sixty-eight patients participated in rehabilitation at Semmelweis University's Department of Pulmonology. Respiratory function: forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1%pred), 6-minute walk test (6MWT), chest kinematics (CK), quality of life [EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D), Post-COVID-19 Functional Status (PCFS)] and Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale were measured at the beginning and end of the programme and two months after the rehabilitation.
Results: The 14-day rehabilitation programme resulted in significant improvement of 6MWT {492 [interquartile range (IQR), 435-547] vs. 523 (IQR, 477-580) m; P=0.031}, mMRC [1 (IQR, 0.25-1) vs. 0 (IQR, 0-1); P=0.003], EQ-VAS score [75 (IQR, 65-80) vs. 85 (IQR, 75-90); P=0.015], and PCFS [1 (IQR, 1-2) vs. 0.5 (IQR, 0-1); P=0.032]. Respiratory function and chest kinematics also improved, FEV1(%pred) [86 (IQR, 73-103) vs. 91 (IQR, 80-99); P=0.360], chest kinematics [3.5 (IQR, 2.75-4.25) vs. 4 (IQR, 1-5.25) cm; P=0.296], and breath-holding test (BHT) [33 (IQR, 23-44) vs. 41 (IQR, 28-58) s; P=0.041].
Conclusions: Complex cardiopulmonary rehabilitation improved workload, quality of life, respiratory function, complaints and clinical status of patients with post-COVID syndrome. Personalized complex pulmonary rehabilitation can be beneficial and recommended for patients suffer from post-COVID syndrome, who have good potential for recovery and are able to participate in the two weeks complex pulmonary rehabilitation.
Keywords: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19); dyspnea; fatigue; pulmonary rehabilitation; quality of life.