Predictors of Submaximal Exercise Test Attainment in Adults Reporting Long COVID Symptoms.
Román Romero OrtuñoGlenn JenningsFeng XueEoin DugganJohn GormleyAnn MonaghanPublished in: Journal of clinical medicine (2022)
Adults with long COVID often report intolerance to exercise. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) has been used in many settings to measure exercise ability but has been conducted in a few long COVID cohorts. We conducted CPET in a sample of adults reporting long COVID symptoms using a submaximal cycle ergometer protocol. We studied pre-exercise predictors of achieving 85% of the age-predicted maximum heart rate (85%HRmax) using logistic regression. Eighty participants were included (mean age 46 years, range 25-78, 71% women). Forty participants (50%) did not reach 85%HRmax. On average, non-achievers reached 84% of their predicted 85%HRmax. No adverse events occurred. Participants who did not achieve 85%HRmax were older ( p < 0.001), had more recent COVID-19 illness ( p = 0.012) with higher frequency of hospitalization ( p = 0.025), and had been more affected by dizziness ( p = 0.041) and joint pain ( p = 0.028). In the logistic regression model including age, body mass index, time since COVID-19, COVID-19-related hospitalization, dizziness, joint pain, pre-existing cardiopulmonary disease, and use of beta blockers, independent predictors of achieving 85%HRmax were younger age ( p = 0.001) and longer time since COVID-19 ( p = 0.008). Our cross-sectional findings suggest that exercise tolerance in adults with long COVID has potential to improve over time. Longitudinal research should assess the extent to which this may occur and its mechanisms. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05027724 (TROPIC Study).
Keyphrases
- coronavirus disease
- sars cov
- physical activity
- heart rate
- high intensity
- body mass index
- chronic pain
- cross sectional
- respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- type diabetes
- blood pressure
- resistance training
- heart rate variability
- depressive symptoms
- pregnant women
- risk assessment
- weight loss
- drug induced
- cervical cancer screening