Exercise intolerance associated with impaired oxygen extraction in patients with long COVID. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • OBJECTIVE: Chronic mental and physical fatigue and post-exertional malaise are the more debilitating symptoms of long COVID-19. The study objective was to explore factors contributing to exercise intolerance in long COVID-19 to guide development of new therapies. Exercise capacity data of patients referred for a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) and included in a COVID-19 Survivorship Registry at one urban health center were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Most subjects did not meet normative criteria for a maximal test, consistent with suboptimal effort and early exercise termination. Mean O2 pulse peak % predicted (of 79 ± 12.9) was reduced, supporting impaired energy metabolism as a mechanism of exercise intolerance in long COVID, n = 59. We further identified blunted rise in heart rate peak during maximal CPET. Our preliminary analyses support therapies that optimize bioenergetics and improve oxygen utilization for treating long COVID-19.

publication date

  • April 17, 2023

Research

keywords

  • COVID-19
  • Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC10108551

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 85152964099

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/j.resp.2023.104062

PubMed ID

  • 37076024

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 313