Article ; Online: Inadequate Physical Activity Is Associated with Worse Physical Function in a Sample of COVID-19 Survivors with Post-Acute Symptoms
Journal of Clinical Medicine, Vol 12, Iss 2517, p
2023 Volume 2517
Abstract: Background —Patients affected by Long COVID often report shorter times spent doing physical activity (PA) after COVID-19. The aim of the present study was to evaluate potential associations between PA levels and parameters of physical function in a ... ...
| Abstract | Background —Patients affected by Long COVID often report shorter times spent doing physical activity (PA) after COVID-19. The aim of the present study was to evaluate potential associations between PA levels and parameters of physical function in a cohort of COVID-19 survivors with post-acute symptoms, with a particular focus on individuals aged 65 and older. Materials and methods —PA levels before and after COVID-19 were assessed in a sample of patients that had recovered from COVID-19 and were admitted to a post-acute outpatient service at the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS (Rome, Italy). Participation in PA was operationalized as the engagement in leisure-time PA for at least 150 min per week in the last 3 months. Self-rated health and measures of physical performance and muscle strength were assessed. Results —Mean age of 1846 participants was 55.2 ± 14.4 years and 47% were women. Before COVID-19, inactivity was detected in 47% of the whole study population; only 28% maintained pre-COVID-19 PA engagement. Inactivity was more frequent in women. The stopping of physical activity was associated with increased BMI and CRP levels, lower vitamin D levels and a higher prevalence of post-COVID-19 fatigue, dyspnea, arthralgia, and myalgia. Active participants had higher handgrip strength and performed better on both the six-minute walking test (6MWT) and at the one-minute sit-to-stand test (1MSTST). In particular, at the 6MWT, participants 65 and older that were still active after COVID-19 walked 32 m more than sedentary peers. Moreover, the distance covered was 28 m more than those who were active only before COVID-19 ( p = 0.05). Formerly active subjects performed similarly at the 6MWT to inactive participants. PA was associated with better self-rated health. Conclusions —Our findings reveal that inactivity is frequent in the post-acute COVID-19 phase. Stopping physical activity after COVID-19 results in measures of performance that are comparable to those who were never active. ... |
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| Keywords | six-minute walking test ; one-minute sit-to-stand test ; muscle strength ; Long COVID ; geriatrics ; Medicine ; R |
| Subject code | 796 |
| Language | English |
| Publishing date | 2023-03-01T00:00:00Z |
| Publisher | MDPI AG |
| Document type | Article ; Online |
| Database | BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection) |
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