tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Sci Rep
. 2025 Jul 29;15(1):27666.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-11728-x. Increased breathlessness in post-COVID syndrome despite normal breathing patterns in a rebreathing challenge
Dina von Werder[SUP] 1 2 3 [/SUP], Maria Aubele[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Franziska Regnath[SUP] 4 5 [/SUP], Elisabeth Tebbe[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Dejan Mladenov[SUP] 4 6 [/SUP], Victoria von Rheinbaben[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Elisabeth Hahn[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Daniel Schäfer[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Katharina Biersack[SUP] 4 5 [/SUP], Kristina Adorjan[SUP] 7 8 [/SUP], Hans C Stubbe[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Katleen Bogaerts[SUP] 10 11 [/SUP], Rudolf A Jörres[SUP] 6 12 [/SUP], Dennis Nowak[SUP] 6 12 [/SUP], Omer Van den Bergh[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Stefan Glasauer[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 13 14 [/SUP], Nadine Lehnen[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 15 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Severe symptoms in the absence of measurable body pathology are a frequent hallmark of post-COVID syndrome. From a Bayesian Brain perspective, such symptoms can be explained by incorrect internal models that the brain uses to interpret sensory signals. In this pre-registered study, we investigate whether induced breathlessness perception during a controlled CO[SUB]2[/SUB]rebreathing challenge is reflected by altered respiratory measures (physiology and breathing patterns), and propose different computational mechanisms that could explain our findings in a Bayesian Brain framework. We analysed data from 40 patients with post-COVID syndrome and 40 healthy participants. Results from lung function, neurological and neurocognitive examination of all participants were within normal limits on the day of the experiment. Using a Bayesian repeated-measures ANOVA, we found that patients' breathlessness was strongly increased (BF[SUB]10,baseline[/SUB]=8.029, BF[SUB]10,rebreathing[/SUB]=11636, BF[SUB]10,recovery[/SUB]=43662) compared to controls. When excluding patients who hyperventilated (N = 8, 20%) during the experiment from the analysis, differences in breathlessness remained (BF[SUB]10,baseline[/SUB]=1.283, BF[SUB]10,rebreathing[/SUB]=126.812, BF[SUB]10,recovery[/SUB]=751.282). For physiology and breathing patterns, all evidence pointed towards no difference between the two groups (0.307 > BF[SUB]10[/SUB] < 0.704). In summary, we found intact breathing patterns and physiology but increased symptom perception in patients with post-COVID syndrome.
. 2025 Jul 29;15(1):27666.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-11728-x. Increased breathlessness in post-COVID syndrome despite normal breathing patterns in a rebreathing challenge
Dina von Werder[SUP] 1 2 3 [/SUP], Maria Aubele[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Franziska Regnath[SUP] 4 5 [/SUP], Elisabeth Tebbe[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Dejan Mladenov[SUP] 4 6 [/SUP], Victoria von Rheinbaben[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Elisabeth Hahn[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Daniel Schäfer[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Katharina Biersack[SUP] 4 5 [/SUP], Kristina Adorjan[SUP] 7 8 [/SUP], Hans C Stubbe[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Katleen Bogaerts[SUP] 10 11 [/SUP], Rudolf A Jörres[SUP] 6 12 [/SUP], Dennis Nowak[SUP] 6 12 [/SUP], Omer Van den Bergh[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Stefan Glasauer[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 13 14 [/SUP], Nadine Lehnen[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 15 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 40730844
- PMCID: PMC12307924
- DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-11728-x
Severe symptoms in the absence of measurable body pathology are a frequent hallmark of post-COVID syndrome. From a Bayesian Brain perspective, such symptoms can be explained by incorrect internal models that the brain uses to interpret sensory signals. In this pre-registered study, we investigate whether induced breathlessness perception during a controlled CO[SUB]2[/SUB]rebreathing challenge is reflected by altered respiratory measures (physiology and breathing patterns), and propose different computational mechanisms that could explain our findings in a Bayesian Brain framework. We analysed data from 40 patients with post-COVID syndrome and 40 healthy participants. Results from lung function, neurological and neurocognitive examination of all participants were within normal limits on the day of the experiment. Using a Bayesian repeated-measures ANOVA, we found that patients' breathlessness was strongly increased (BF[SUB]10,baseline[/SUB]=8.029, BF[SUB]10,rebreathing[/SUB]=11636, BF[SUB]10,recovery[/SUB]=43662) compared to controls. When excluding patients who hyperventilated (N = 8, 20%) during the experiment from the analysis, differences in breathlessness remained (BF[SUB]10,baseline[/SUB]=1.283, BF[SUB]10,rebreathing[/SUB]=126.812, BF[SUB]10,recovery[/SUB]=751.282). For physiology and breathing patterns, all evidence pointed towards no difference between the two groups (0.307 > BF[SUB]10[/SUB] < 0.704). In summary, we found intact breathing patterns and physiology but increased symptom perception in patients with post-COVID syndrome.