Association of physical symptoms with accelerometer-measured movement behaviors and functional capacity in individuals with [LC], 2024, Rosa-Souza+

Association of physical symptoms with accelerometer-measured movement behaviors and functional capacity in individuals with Long COVID
Rosa-Souza, Francisco José; Freire, Yuri Alberto; Galliano, Leony Morgana; Dalton-Alves, Francisco; de Lima Pinto, Júlio Cesar Barbosa; Godtsfriedt, Carla Elane Silva; Delevatti, Rodrigo Sudatti; Gerage, Aline Mendes; Rech, Cassiano Ricardo; Ritti-Dias, Raphael Mendes; Costa, Eduardo Caldas

Long COVID has been linked to a decline in physical activity and functional capacity. However, it remains unclear which physical symptoms are associated with specific aspects of movement behaviors and functional capacity. We aimed to investigate the associations of fatigue, dyspnea, post-exertional malaise, myalgia, and the co-occurrence of symptoms with movement behaviors and functional capacity in individuals with Long COVID.

A cross-sectional multicenter study was conducted. Questionnaires were used to assess fatigue, dyspnea, post-exertional malaise, and myalgia. Accelerometry was employed to assess sedentary time, steps per day, light physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The six-minute walk test, 30-s chair stand test, and timed up and go were used to assess functional capacity.

One hundred and two community-dwelling individuals who had been living with Long COVID for 15 ± 10 months participated in the study. Fatigue, post-exertional malaise, and the co-occurrence of physical symptoms showed a negative association with step count, while post-exertional malaise was also negatively associated with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Dyspnea showed a negative association with the functional score, including all tests.

Our findings suggest that fatigue, post-exertional malaise, and the co-occurrence of physical symptoms are negatively associated with physical activity, while dyspnea is negatively associated with functional capacity in individuals with Long COVID.

Link | PDF (Nature Scientific Reports) [Open Access]

 

These patients seem to be pretty modestly affected.

 

And therefore not deconditioned nor have wasted their muscle mass for weeks being very sick to the point of being completely bedbound, which would still not explain their symptoms but is irrelevant anyway. For most of them anyway, with relatively little differences between the mild and the severe end of the acute phase. Which we've known for 4 years now. Not "experts", though. They still don't know. Or don't care. Same thing either way.

It's really amazing how literally every single trope of the psychobehavioral model has been completely and thoroughly debunked and it makes zero difference, the myths are still believed as strongly as ever. There are simply entire, large, areas of medicine that are completely fact-free, to the point of being as hostile to facts as the sewers of conspiracy communities. They have models derived from false conditions and it doesn't matter that the conditions are false, they still run the scripts dependent on the false conditions. Literally less intelligence than a freaking code compiler/interpreter. Which have zero intelligence, they're just sets of instructions and algorithms, and for the most part could run on kilohertz processors from 50 years ago, if you have the time for it.

My biggest fear in all of this is that the denial only grows with the evidence. It's too much sunk cost, it's too embarrassing to admit that they got it 100% wrong and, consciously or not, decide to avoid the embarrassment by simply never ceding ground. It sure looks like it so far.