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Treatment of COVID-19 sequelae with Physical Exercises

Not Applicable
Conditions
Coronavirus Infections
B04.820.578.500.540.150.113
Registration Number
RBR-5p8nzk6
Lead Sponsor
niversidade Federal de Santa Catarina
Brief Summary

The sequelae of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) are another socio-economic problem of the pandemic. Fatigue and dyspnea are the most prevalent symptoms. It is not known whether exercise can be used to treat long-term COVID-19. This study aimed to investigate the effects of an 8-week face-to-face rehabilitation program on COVID-19 compared to a remote monitoring group. The face-to-face rehabilitation group performed 8 weeks of treatment with moderate-intensity aerobic and resistance exercise. The remote monitoring group received a booklet with general information about physical activity and health education. Fatigue and dyspnea were assessed using questionnaires and exercise capacity using a progressive walk test. A total of 37 participants (24.3% hospitalized) were evaluated before and after rehabilitation (22 subjects) or remote monitoring (15 subjects). Participants were allocated to groups according to their preferences. Both groups showed improvement in fatigue and exercise capacity. Participants in the face-to-face rehabilitation group showed improvement in dyspnea. Of the main sequelae, fatigue improves naturally, while dyspnea requires rehabilitation. Our results demonstrated the benefits of exercise for the sequelae of COVID-19.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
Data analysis completed
Sex
Not specified
Target Recruitment
Not specified
Inclusion Criteria

Subjects over 18 years of age diagnosed with COVID-19 in the last six months; with at least one of the following symptoms, shortness of breath, tiredness, muscle pain, joint pain and cough.

Exclusion Criteria

Patients with previous respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or pulmonary fibrosis; Patients with NYHA III or IV heart disease; Patients with neurological or osteoarticular diseases that limit participation in the study; Patients with difficulty understanding to perform the study tests; Patients with symptoms and cardiac alterations that contraindicate physical exertion.

Study & Design

Study Type
Intervention
Study Design
Not specified
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Expected Outcome 1: It is expected to find an increase in exercise capacity, verified through an increase in the distance covered in the Incremental Shuttle Walk Test, between the pre- and post-intervention periods.;Observed Outcome 1: A significant average increase of 100.8 meters was observed for the group that received face-to-face rehabilitation (p less than 0.0001) and an average increase of 65.9 meters for the remote monitoring group (p equal to 0.001), between the pre- and post-intervention periods.
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Expected Outcome 2: A reduction in dyspnea and fatigue symptoms is expected through a reduction in the Modified Pulmonary Functional Status Dyspnea Questionnaire score between the pre- and post-intervention periods.;Observed Outcome 2: A significant reduction in dyspnea was observed only for the face-to-face rehabilitation group through the reduction of the Modified Pulmonary Functional Status Dyspnea Questionnaire score with a median score of 8 points to 1 (p equal to 0.001), between the pre and post periods -intervention. Fatigue was significantly reduced for the face-to-face rehabilitation group by reducing the Modified Pulmonary Functional Status Dyspnea Questionnaire score with a median of 18 points to 1.5 points (p equal to 0.0001) and for the remote monitoring group with a median of 18 to 2 points (p equal to 0.012), between the pre- and post-intervention periods.
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