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Symptom burden correlates to impairment of diffusion capacity and exercise intolerance in long COVID patients, 2022, Kersten et al

Discussion in 'Long Covid research' started by Sly Saint, May 25, 2022.

  1. Sly Saint

    Sly Saint Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Abstract


    After acute infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a considerable number of patients remains symptomatic with pathological changes in various organ systems. This study aimed to relate the physical and mental burden of symptoms of long COVID patients to the findings of a somatic evaluation.

    In patients with persistent long COVID symptoms three months after acute infection we assessed physical and mental health status using the SF-36 questionnaire. The cohort was dichotomised by the results (upper two quartiles vs. lower to quartiles) and compared with regard to transthoracic echocardiography, body plethysmography (including diffusion capacity), capillary blood gas analysis and 6-min walk test (6-MWT). From February 22 to September 13, 2021, 463 patients were prospectively examined, of which 367 completed the SF-36 questionnaire.

    A positive correlation between initial disease severity (need for hospitalization, intensive care medicine) and resulting symptom burden at follow-up could be demonstrated.

    Patients with impaired subjective physical and mental status were significantly more likely to be women. There was a significant correlation between symptom severity and reduced exercise tolerance in the 6-MWT (495.6 ± 83.7 m vs 549.7 ± 71.6 m, p < 0.001) and diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (85.6 ± 14.3% of target vs 94.5 ± 14.4, p < 0.001). In long COVID patients, initial disease severity is correlated with symptom burden after at least 3 months of follow-up.

    Highly symptomatic long COVID patients show impaired diffusion capacity and 6-MWT despite average or mildly affected mechanical lung parameters. It must be further differentiated whether this corresponds to a transient functional impairment or whether it is a matter of defined organ damage.

    https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-12839-5
     
    Sean, Snow Leopard and Peter Trewhitt like this.
  2. Snow Leopard

    Snow Leopard Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Note:
     
  3. rvallee

    rvallee Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Those are not the only two options. This seems to believe that the only way for impairment to be chronic is through obviously observable organ damage. I don't know where this obsession comes from but it's seriously impeding progress in medicine.

    Seems to be in the same line of thinking about how bacteria cannot possibly survive in the stomach, therefore ulcers cannot be caused by bacteria. It would be great if they focused less on whatever they think transient impairment is vs how transient medical knowledge is, always a temporary step along the way to a full understanding, which is a very long way off.

    I mean seriously this may be one of the most frustrating thing in the world, researchers who look at unexpected results and think, "well, this can't be". It's the literal basis of all science to find things that are not explained by current knowledge and in medicine this thinking is completely shut off, everything has to fit with prior knowledge or it is categorically impossible, like the idea of finding something new is basically a fault. Really easy to see why so little progress is happening.
     
    Willow, alktipping and Trish like this.

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