Assessment of Exercise Capacity of Individuals with Long COVID: A Cross-sectional Study 2023 Yelin et al

Abstract

Background: Clinical investigations of long-term effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are rarely translated to objective findings.

Objectives: To assess the functional capacity of individuals reported on deconditioning that hampered their return to their pre-COVID routine.

Methods: Assessment included the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and the 30-second sit-to-stand test (30-STST). We compared the expected and observed scores using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Predictors of test scores were identified using linear regression models.

Results: We included 49 individuals, of whom 38 (77.6%) were recovering from mild COVID-19. Twenty-seven (55.1%) individuals had a 6MWT score lower than 80% of expected. The average 6MWT scores were 129.5 ± 121.2 meters and 12.2 ± 5.0 repeats lower than expected scores, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). The 6MWT score was 107.3 meters lower for individuals with severe COVID-19 (P = 0.013) and rose by 2.7 meters per each 1% increase in the diffusing capacity of carbon monoxide (P = 0.007). The 30-STST score was 3.0 repeats lower for individuals who reported moderate to severe myalgia (P = 0.038).

Conclusions: Individuals with long COVID who report on deconditioning exhibit significantly decreased physical capacity, even following mild acute illness. Risk factors include severe COVID-19 and impaired diffusing capacity or myalgia during recovery.

PubMed abstract only at time of posting, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36841973/

 

Uh, what? Who "report on deconditioning"? Not even a proper sentence. I assume they mean "who report deconditioning", but that is very misleading as I almost never, and I really do mean almost never, heard a patient, pwLC or pwME, say that. In fact literally the opposite.

Looking at the paper, I think they may mean patients who have been reported as deconditioned, i.e. referred to for. Which is incorrect, and sadly shows medicine cannot actually identify deconditioning and probably should stop pretending they can do stuff they can't.

Attention to details. Oh I would do such bad things for it to become common. Doesn't seem like a teaching model based on rote memorization is any good for this.