Functional limitations 12 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection correlate with initial disease severity: An observational study of cardiopulmonary exercise capacity testing in COVID-19 convalescents

The Impact of Wearing Different Face Masks on Vigorous Physical Exercise Performance and Perceived Exertion among COVID-19 Infected vs. Uninfected Female Students

“…These findings contrast with the study by Steibeis et al [48], who reported a reduction of <80% of predicted values of ventilatory capacity in 56% of infected young subjects during a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET), conducted without masks. The study identified reduced patients' respiratory quality of life as a risk factor for adverse CPET performance [48].…”

“…These findings contrast with the study by Steibeis et al [48], who reported a reduction of <80% of predicted values of ventilatory capacity in 56% of infected young subjects during a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET), conducted without masks. The study identified reduced patients' respiratory quality of life as a risk factor for adverse CPET performance [48]. Furthermore, other studies found that COVID-19 convalescents experienced reduced exercise capacity up to six months after symptom onset, with changes in respiratory efficiency and maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 peak) being the most common anomalies [49][50][51][52][53].…”

“…Firstly, it is important to note our participants were young adults with an average age of 20 ± 1.2; none of them required hospitalization or displayed severe symptoms during their acute phase of COVID-19 infection. Reduced VO2 peak, a well-known risk factor of altered high-intensity running performance, was shown to be associated with dyspnea, hospitalization, and intensive medical care treatment [49,54] with younger subjects and those with lower BMI having higher COVID resistance and less frequent hospitalization [48]. Secondly, it is worth mentioning that all participants were involved, through their academic pursuits in the sport science department, in regular physical activity, which is known to help maintain respiratory and muscular function, even after a COVID-19 infection [19].…”

Evaluating performance on the Glittre-ADL test in men with long COVID 3 years after a SARS-CoV-2 infection

“…In fact, previous hospitalization in the intensive care unit, an SGRQ score >25 points and reduction in DLCO have been identified as potential risk factors for poor exercise performance in patients 1 year after COVID-19. 2 Since the extent of the harmful effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the QoL of survivors continues for more than 3 years after acute infection, it is essential to mitigate the factors that may impact the QoL of these patients.…”

“… 1 Particularly, those with more severe lung involvement by COVID-19 have worse long-term lung damage, with the patient-reported symptom burden remaining high and quality of life (QoL) remaining poor even 1 year after COVID-19 infection. 2 Despite the large number of patients who have recovered from COVID-19, long COVID is a condition that is not yet fully understood, although potential mechanisms have included the persistence of the virus or its components, autoimmune processes, metabolic and endocrine dysregulation, psychosocial factors, and microvascular and mitochondrial damage. 1 The constellation of symptoms of long COVID includes exercise intolerance and functional impairment, but among these symptoms, fatigue can be particularly debilitating.…”