A 6-week program was followed by better quality-of-life, psychological, and dyspnea measures in non-hospitalized patients.
Evidence
A prospective longitudinal observational study of 50 non-hospitalized long COVID patients measured SF-12, HADS anxiety and depression, and dyspnea at baseline, immediately after the program, and 5-7 months later.
Caveat
Without a randomized or usual-care control group and with only 50 participants, the improvements cannot be confidently separated from recovery over time, placebo effects, or selection bias.
Simplified
BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, has resulted in persistent symptoms in some individuals-referred to as or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). Common symptoms such as fatigue, dyspnea, anxiety, and depression can markedly impair (HRQOL). Conventional rehabilitation may be insufficient, raising interest in (APA) as a non-pharmacological strategy to improve physical and psychological outcome. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the short- and medium-term effects of an APA protocol on HRQOL and psychological outcomes in patients with long COVID.
METHODS: Fifty non-hospitalized patients with long COVID (mean age 52.0 ± 15.3 years; 44% female) participated in in a prospective, longitudinal observational study. Each patient underwent a 6-week APA program consisting of two 30-minute individualized cardiorespiratory sessions per week. HRQOL (SF-12), anxiety, and depression (HADS) were evaluated at baseline (E1), immediately post-intervention (E2), and at 5-7 months follow-up (E3).
RESULTS: Significant improvements were found in both physical and mental SF-12 scores across time points (p < 0.001). The proportion of patients with normal physical HRQOL rose from 16% at baseline to 90% at E2 and remained higher than baseline at E3 (66%). Symptoms of anxiety and depression were significantly reduced (p < 0.001). Dyspnea prevalence decreased substantially from baseline to follow-ups. Strong negative correlations were observed between HRQOL and HADS scores (p < 0.001).
CONCLUSION: The APA protocol showed significant short- and medium-term improvements in HRQOL and psychological outcomes in long COVID patients. Benefits were more pronounced for physical symptoms and anxiety than for depression. These findings suggest that structured physical activity may offer a feasible, non-pharmacological strategy to enhance recovery and quality of life. Incorporating APA into routine care may help meet the diverse functional and psychological needs of this population.
Key numbers
90%
Increase in Normal Physical
Normal physical rose from 16% at baseline to 90% post-intervention.
82%
Increase in Normal Anxiety Scores
Normal anxiety scores increased from 26% at baseline to 82% post-intervention.
66%
Increase in Normal Depression Scores
Normal depression scores increased from 24% at baseline to 66% post-intervention.
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Long Covid