tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Ann Thorac Med
. Jan-Mar 2022;17(1):28-36.
doi: 10.4103/atm.atm_82_21. Epub 2022 Jan 14.
Long-term COVID-19 effects on pulmonary function, exercise capacity, and health status
Doaa M Magdy[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ahmed Metwally[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Doaa Abdel Tawab[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Shimaa Abaas Hassan[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Marwa Makboul[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Shimaa Farghaly[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: The long-term effects of respiratory function and related physiological characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors have not yet been studied in depth.
Objective: To examine pulmonary function, exercise capacity, and health-related quality of life among COVID-19 survivors.
Methods: Eighty-five survivors with confirmed COVID-19 were evaluated at the end of 3 and 6 months after disease onset. The assessment included lung function, diffusing capacity, 6-min walk distance (6MWD), and health status by the 36-item Short-Form General Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire.
Results: Totally 85 survivors, 48 (56.5%) were men. The mean (standard deviation) age was 34.6 (9.9) years. Thirteen patients (15.2%) had medical co-morbidities the mean length of hospitalization was 18.5 (5.6) days. 25 (29.4%) required intensive care unit admission, whereas 6 (7%) of them required invasive mechanical ventilation. No significant differences were observed between lung volume parameters. At 6 months, there was a significant reduction in diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), P = 0.02*. 25 (29.4%) of patients had impaired DLCO ≤80% predicted. Regarding 6MWD, a significant increase was noted in 6MWD from 486 ± 72 m at 3 months to 526 ± 82 m at 6 months (P = 0.001*). The 6MWD was lower than that for normal controls of the same age groups. There was significant impairment of health status assessed by SF-36 questionnaire among COVID-19 survivors at 6 months as compared with controls of the same age groups. There were significant positive correlations between lung function parameters (FVC, VC, FEV1, and DlCO) with several SF-36 domains.
Conclusion: In discharged survivors with COVID-19, 23.5% had significant impairment of diffusion capacity abnormality of lung function. The exercise capacity and health status were considerably lower than that of a normal population after 6 months postinfection.
Keywords: COVID-19; exercise capacity; quality of life.
. Jan-Mar 2022;17(1):28-36.
doi: 10.4103/atm.atm_82_21. Epub 2022 Jan 14.
Long-term COVID-19 effects on pulmonary function, exercise capacity, and health status
Doaa M Magdy[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ahmed Metwally[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Doaa Abdel Tawab[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Shimaa Abaas Hassan[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Marwa Makboul[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Shimaa Farghaly[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35198046
- PMCID: PMC8809128
- DOI: 10.4103/atm.atm_82_21
Abstract
Background: The long-term effects of respiratory function and related physiological characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors have not yet been studied in depth.
Objective: To examine pulmonary function, exercise capacity, and health-related quality of life among COVID-19 survivors.
Methods: Eighty-five survivors with confirmed COVID-19 were evaluated at the end of 3 and 6 months after disease onset. The assessment included lung function, diffusing capacity, 6-min walk distance (6MWD), and health status by the 36-item Short-Form General Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire.
Results: Totally 85 survivors, 48 (56.5%) were men. The mean (standard deviation) age was 34.6 (9.9) years. Thirteen patients (15.2%) had medical co-morbidities the mean length of hospitalization was 18.5 (5.6) days. 25 (29.4%) required intensive care unit admission, whereas 6 (7%) of them required invasive mechanical ventilation. No significant differences were observed between lung volume parameters. At 6 months, there was a significant reduction in diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), P = 0.02*. 25 (29.4%) of patients had impaired DLCO ≤80% predicted. Regarding 6MWD, a significant increase was noted in 6MWD from 486 ± 72 m at 3 months to 526 ± 82 m at 6 months (P = 0.001*). The 6MWD was lower than that for normal controls of the same age groups. There was significant impairment of health status assessed by SF-36 questionnaire among COVID-19 survivors at 6 months as compared with controls of the same age groups. There were significant positive correlations between lung function parameters (FVC, VC, FEV1, and DlCO) with several SF-36 domains.
Conclusion: In discharged survivors with COVID-19, 23.5% had significant impairment of diffusion capacity abnormality of lung function. The exercise capacity and health status were considerably lower than that of a normal population after 6 months postinfection.
Keywords: COVID-19; exercise capacity; quality of life.
