Effect of 8-week exercise-based rehabilitation on immune cell counts in Post-COVID syndrome following hospitalisation: a RCT, 2025, Bishop

Dolphin

Dolphin

Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Edited to add: See post #3 for abstract: https://www.s4me.info/threads/effec...alisation-a-rct-2025-bishop.46405/post-645120

www.eurekalert.org

Exercise can help to restore the immune system of people with post-COVID syndrome

Exercise can help to restore a more normal, well-regulated immune system in people with post-COVID syndrome, according to a gold-standard randomised-controlled trial presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
www.eurekalert.org

NEWS RELEASE 30-SEP-2025

Exercise can help to restore the immune system of people with post-COVID syndrome​

Reports and Proceedings
EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY SOCIETY


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Dr Enya Daynes
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DR ENYA DAYNES

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CREDIT: ENYA DAYNES/ERS

Exercise can help to restore a more normal, well-regulated immune system in people with post-COVID syndrome, according to a gold-standard randomised-controlled trial presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Amsterdam, the Netherlands [1].

The study was presented by Dr Enya Daynes, from a team of researchers led by Professor Nicolette Bishop from Loughborough University, UK.

Dr Daynes told the Congress: “Research suggests that those with post-COVID syndrome are at an increased risk of immune dysregulation where, instead of protecting the body, the immune system can become overactive or misdirected, attacking the body’s own healthy cells or reacting strongly to things that are not harmful.

“This can lead to ongoing inflammation and symptoms such as fatigue, joint pain, and generally feeling unwell, many of which overlap with what people experience in post-COVID syndrome.”

The trial included a group of 31 patients diagnosed with post-COVID syndrome who had been treated for COVID in hospital. Some of the patients were randomly assigned to take part in an eight-week exercise-based rehabilitation programme which included treadmill walking, cycling and strength training, while other patients were given standard care.

The researchers found that people who completed the exercise programme had significant improvements in their naïve immune cells compared to the control group. Naïve immune cells are important for recognising and responding to new infections.

Dr Daynes explains: “We found improvements in central memory CD4+T cells. These are responsible for providing a quick response to any infections that the body has encountered before, which could include COVID. We also found that central and effector memory CD8+T cells improved throughout the body. These cells can identify and fight future infections more rapidly, providing a crucial systemic immune response, and long-term immunity.”

Dr Daynes believes that exercise likely helps by improving blood flow, mobilising immune cells and improving their ability to monitor for threats. This also improves communication between immune cells helping them to coordinate an immune response, and increases the production and turnover of cells, reducing chronic inflammation, and creating a balanced environment for immune function.

The team now plan to investigate if these benefits are the same in patients who have not been hospitalised with their initial COVID infection.

Dr Guido Vagheggini from the European Respiratory Society’s expert group on respiratory clinical care and physiology, based at Portoferraio, Isola d'Elba, Italy, who was not involved in the research, said: “Post-COVID syndrome effects people of all ages. Symptoms can last for many months and can prevent people from returning to everyday activities at work or school.

“Research suggests that COVID can cause the immune system to attack the body, and we need to understand how to treat this.

“This research shows that people with post-COVID syndrome who are able to complete an exercise-based rehabilitation programme may experience benefits in their immune cell function. This could mean they experience fewer symptoms of immune dysfunction such as fatigue and joint pain. They may also be better at fighting COVID and other infections in the future.

“The findings are important for patients who fear repeated infections of COVID and provides a potential solution to this concern.”

METHOD OF RESEARCH​

Randomized controlled/clinical trial

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH​

People
Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.
 
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So what exactly were these 'improvements' in cells? Maybe more cells, which might be exactly what you don't want if the problem is overactive T cells.

I don't know which naive cells they are referring to but what Dr Daynes 'believes' certainly seems naive.
 
This is a press release for a poster presentation. Same press release but with link to the poster can be found here.

Effect of 8-week exercise-based rehabilitation on immune cell counts in Post-COVID syndrome following hospitalisation: a randomised controlled trial.

N. C. Bishop1, M. Hamrouni1, E. Daynes2, M. M. Baldwin2, G. Mills2, R. A. Evans2, C. E.Brightling2, S. J. Singh2, M. J. Roberts1

1NCSEM Loughborough University - Loughborough (United Kingdom), 2NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre- Respiratory - Leicester (United Kingdom)

Introduction: Survivors of severe COVID-19 may exhibit immune dysregulation, characterised by reduced naïve and increased senescent and exhausted T cell populations (Lord et al. Immun Ageing 2024; 21:6). Regular exercise is associated with increased naïve and reduced exhausted and senescent T cell populations and therefore may help resolve post-COVID immune dysregulation.

Aim: To explore, in participants with Post-COVID syndrome following hospitalisation, the effect of an 8-week exercise-based rehabilitation intervention on CD4 and CD8 T cells and subsets, compared with usual care.

Methods: A sub-group of 31 participants (13 male) completed this assessor-blinded RCT, comparing an 8-week supervised intervention of individualised exercise and education (EX;n=13) with usual care (UC;n=18). T cell immunophenotyping via flow cytometry was performed at baseline and 8 weeks and analysed using linear mixed models.

Results: At 8 weeks, numbers of central memory CD4+T cells and naïve, central and effector memory CD8+T cells increased in EX only (Figure 1).

Conclusions: Exercise-based rehabilitation could be a potential therapy for restoring post-COVID immune dysregulation.

Direct link to PDF.
 
Dolphin said:
www.eurekalert.org

Exercise can help to restore the immune system of people with post-COVID syndrome

Exercise can help to restore a more normal, well-regulated immune system in people with post-COVID syndrome, according to a gold-standard randomised-controlled trial presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
www.eurekalert.org

NEWS RELEASE 30-SEP-2025

Exercise can help to restore the immune system of people with post-COVID syndrome​

Reports and Proceedings
EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY SOCIETY


FacebookXLinkedInWeChatBlueskyMessageWhatsAppEmail

Dr Enya Daynes
IMAGE:

DR ENYA DAYNES

view more


CREDIT: ENYA DAYNES/ERS

Exercise can help to restore a more normal, well-regulated immune system in people with post-COVID syndrome, according to a gold-standard randomised-controlled trial presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Amsterdam, the Netherlands [1].

The study was presented by Dr Enya Daynes, from a team of researchers led by Professor Nicolette Bishop from Loughborough University, UK.

Dr Daynes told the Congress: “Research suggests that those with post-COVID syndrome are at an increased risk of immune dysregulation where, instead of protecting the body, the immune system can become overactive or misdirected, attacking the body’s own healthy cells or reacting strongly to things that are not harmful.

“This can lead to ongoing inflammation and symptoms such as fatigue, joint pain, and generally feeling unwell, many of which overlap with what people experience in post-COVID syndrome.”

The trial included a group of 31 patients diagnosed with post-COVID syndrome who had been treated for COVID in hospital. Some of the patients were randomly assigned to take part in an eight-week exercise-based rehabilitation programme which included treadmill walking, cycling and strength training, while other patients were given standard care.

The researchers found that people who completed the exercise programme had significant improvements in their naïve immune cells compared to the control group. Naïve immune cells are important for recognising and responding to new infections.

Dr Daynes explains: “We found improvements in central memory CD4+T cells. These are responsible for providing a quick response to any infections that the body has encountered before, which could include COVID. We also found that central and effector memory CD8+T cells improved throughout the body. These cells can identify and fight future infections more rapidly, providing a crucial systemic immune response, and long-term immunity.”

Dr Daynes believes that exercise likely helps by improving blood flow, mobilising immune cells and improving their ability to monitor for threats. This also improves communication between immune cells helping them to coordinate an immune response, and increases the production and turnover of cells, reducing chronic inflammation, and creating a balanced environment for immune function.

The team now plan to investigate if these benefits are the same in patients who have not been hospitalised with their initial COVID infection.

Dr Guido Vagheggini from the European Respiratory Society’s expert group on respiratory clinical care and physiology, based at Portoferraio, Isola d'Elba, Italy, who was not involved in the research, said: “Post-COVID syndrome effects people of all ages. Symptoms can last for many months and can prevent people from returning to everyday activities at work or school.

“Research suggests that COVID can cause the immune system to attack the body, and we need to understand how to treat this.

“This research shows that people with post-COVID syndrome who are able to complete an exercise-based rehabilitation programme may experience benefits in their immune cell function. This could mean they experience fewer symptoms of immune dysfunction such as fatigue and joint pain. They may also be better at fighting COVID and other infections in the future.

“The findings are important for patients who fear repeated infections of COVID and provides a potential solution to this concern.”

METHOD OF RESEARCH​

Randomized controlled/clinical trial

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH​

People
Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.
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Fine example of gold-standard wording to side-step what the facts actually say whilst 'appearing convincing'.

There isn't even a line in the abstract about whether any of those in the trial either felt or functioned better, so a bit weird they don't feel the need to draw any line between what they studied in these cells and you know it actually being a good thing 'in real life' to steal the social media term. But it is very strange.

And given only the commentary by Dr Vaghenny mentions that not all of them even completed this (although there is a massive give-away in the wording of 'some were assigned' and 'some did' with no numbers whatsoever - basically hiding drop-outs and external validity/represenativeness in the abstract).

Which leads to the same assumption of idiocy of cart-before-horse where the 'researchers' simply used the exercise regime as a Krypton Factor filter for those assigned to this group to remove those who were still unwell with the condition that they were claiming to study/'heal' so that they could claim a lazarus-hand for those that were well already whilst casting aside into dorp-outs not to be looked at the actual demographic/illness they claimed to be curing?

It is really sad the general public, thanks to evidence-based medicine are going to need to be taught to read all of these trickeries just like in the 90s people had to learn to read between the lines on cream claiming to stop aging.

The team now plan to investigate if these benefits are the same in patients who have not been hospitalised with their initial COVID infection.
Click to expand...

from those who did the study. Sort of underlining that they at least understand they haven't found a result at all from that cohort that they didn't study at all - those with 'long covid'

and then the commentator:
“This research shows that people with post-COVID syndrome who are able to complete an exercise-based rehabilitation programme may experience benefits in their immune cell function. This could mean they experience fewer symptoms of immune dysfunction such as fatigue and joint pain. They may also be better at fighting COVID and other infections in the future.

“The findings are important for patients who fear repeated infections of COVID and provides a potential solution to this concern.”
Click to expand...

Does it matter whether he just didn't read it properly or chose to pretend - but I assume that last line underlines he is thinking of 'long covid' as if someone ended up in the hospital each time they had a repeated infection it would be understandable they would have more to fear than what he infers, as rehabbing each time would put them on a bit of a contiual revolving door.

I've also never seen so many 'if, but, maybe, might, may,' and 'people who were able to complete' indicates he at least noticed the drop-out rate but didn't think to consider those who got ill enough any of those times of repeated infection that doing the exercise was either impossible or harmful

We've a real problem here that this seems to flag of how harmful the new orthodoxy of giving no voice nor acknowledgement to 'non-positive' findings, rather than just reporting the full findings is as far as calling anything a methodology. Who knows who or what they were improving if this area is going to keep on going with this approach to science. You could give a big group an overdose of some vitamin and by ignoring all drop-outs then claim what turns out to be a sub-group with an absorption issue 'proved that overdose was a good idea, based on those who could complete the x weeks of it' whilst everyone with whatever they claimed it would cure or improve are left poisoned by it and unreported for 'not completing'. Except it wouldn't happen if it is a 'drug' because that area isn't exempt from these regulations like this area is.
 
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Jonathan Edwards said:
So what exactly were these 'improvements' in cells? Maybe more cells, which might be exactly what you don't want if the problem is overactive T cells.

I don't know which naive cells they are referring to but what Dr Daynes 'believes' certainly seems naive.
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I noticed that sitter and wondered whether it was a Freudian slip from the author
 
SNT Gatchaman said:
Lead author (along with Chalder and 40 others) of Post-Hospitalisation COVID-19 Rehabilitation PHOSP-R: A randomised controlled trial of exercise-based rehabilitation (2025)
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at least it explains where the mis-training in how not to run basic research cam from then

sad for the patients and even I'd almost feel sad for the early research but.... they aren't ill and could care enough to understand what they are doing, but I guess the incentives are not to?
 
Jonathan Edwards said:
So what exactly were these 'improvements' in cells? Maybe more cells, which might be exactly what you don't want if the problem is overactive T cells.

I don't know which naive cells they are referring to but what Dr Daynes 'believes' certainly seems naive.
Click to expand...
Could they possibly have found the opposite of what they claim? A t cell response to exercise that is the reason why exercise leads to PEM and sometimes deterioration in pwME?
 
bobbler said:
Fine example of gold-standard wording to side-step what the facts actually say whilst 'appearing convincing'.

There isn't even a line in the abstract about whether any of those in the trial either felt or functioned better, so a bit weird they don't feel the need to draw any line between what they studied in these cells and you know it actually being a good thing 'in real life' to steal the social media term. But it is very strange.

And given only the commentary by Dr Vaghenny mentions that not all of them even completed this (although there is a massive give-away in the wording of 'some were assigned' and 'some did' with no numbers whatsoever - basically hiding drop-outs and external validity/represenativeness in the abstract).

Which leads to the same assumption of idiocy of cart-before-horse where the 'researchers' simply used the exercise regime as a Krypton Factor filter for those assigned to this group to remove those who were still unwell with the condition that they were claiming to study/'heal' so that they could claim a lazarus-hand for those that were well already whilst casting aside into dorp-outs not to be looked at the actual demographic/illness they claimed to be curing?

It is really sad the general public, thanks to evidence-based medicine are going to need to be taught to read all of these trickeries just like in the 90s people had to learn to read between the lines on cream claiming to stop aging.



from those who did the study. Sort of underlining that they at least understand they haven't found a result at all from that cohort that they didn't study at all - those with 'long covid'

and then the commentator:


Does it matter whether he just didn't read it properly or chose to pretend - but I assume that last line underlines he is thinking of 'long covid' as if someone ended up in the hospital each time they had a repeated infection it would be understandable they would have more to fear than what he infers, as rehabbing each time would put them on a bit of a contiual revolving door.

I've also never seen so many 'if, but, maybe, might, may,' and 'people who were able to complete' indicates he at least noticed the drop-out rate but didn't think to consider those who got ill enough any of those times of repeated infection that doing the exercise was either impossible or harmful

We've a real problem here that this seems to flag of how harmful the new orthodoxy of giving no voice nor acknowledgement to 'non-positive' findings, rather than just reporting the full findings is as far as calling anything a methodology. Who knows who or what they were improving if this area is going to keep on going with this approach to science. You could give a big group an overdose of some vitamin and by ignoring all drop-outs then claim what turns out to be a sub-group with an absorption issue 'proved that overdose was a good idea, based on those who could complete the x weeks of it' whilst everyone with whatever they claimed it would cure or improve are left poisoned by it and unreported for 'not completing'. Except it wouldn't happen if it is a 'drug' because that area isn't exempt from these regulations like this area is.
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These people are utterly shameless.
 
The issue for us is patient selection. These were people who were hospitalised with COVID. Exercise might be helpful for many who come under the "post-COVID syndrome" umbrella, e.g. those with respiratory issues. Post-ICU, people can feel pretty terrible, and that often includes fatigue, and they can be traumatised, but I've never come across anyone who developed ME/CFS post-ICU.

This is an important proviso:
This research shows that people with post-COVID syndrome who are able to complete an exercise-based rehabilitation programme may experience benefits in their immune cell function. This could mean they experience fewer symptoms of immune dysfunction such as fatigue and joint pain. They may also be better at fighting COVID and other infections in the future.
The findings are important for patients who fear repeated infections of COVID and provides a potential solution to this concern.
Click to expand...
 
Evergreen said:
The issue for us is patient selection. These were people who were hospitalised with COVID. Exercise might be helpful for many who come under the "post-COVID syndrome" umbrella, e.g. those with respiratory issues. Post-ICU, people can feel pretty terrible, and that often includes fatigue, and they can be traumatised, but I've never come across anyone who developed ME/CFS post-ICU.

This is an important proviso:
Click to expand...
Thats a good point. If the results are genuine, and thats a big if, they reported that the non exercise group did not have these changes in T cells. Which is interesting, even if they may not have been studying LC ME/CFS
 
V.R.T. said:
Thats a good point. If the results are genuine, and thats a big if, they reported that the non exercise group did not have these changes in T cells.
Click to expand...

The figure in the PDF shows that while certain cells increased in the exercise group, they decreased in the 'usual care' group over the same time period - would that be a normal thing to see as part of normal fluctuations, or would that decrease have to be caused by something?
 
This seems like the usual approach of looking for things that corroborates your very specific and narrow interpretation of the data, rather than attempting to falsify a hypothesis. If you never look for contradictions you won’t find them.
 
Eleanor said:
The figure in the PDF shows that while certain cells increased in the exercise group, they decreased in the 'usual care' group over the same time period - would that be a normal thing to see as part of normal fluctuations, or would that decrease have to be caused by something?
Click to expand...

That suggests that a decrease is part of normal recovery, which would make an increase look even more like a bad thing.

I doubt we have reason to think exercises are useful for anyone covalescing, including pneumonia ccases. Any evidence for benefit in such cases is probably as flawed as any other rehab trial.
 
This research shows that people with post-COVID syndrome who are able to complete an exercise-based rehabilitation programme may experience benefits in their immune cell function
Click to expand...
This exact treatment approach has been used for 5 years on hundreds of thousands of people. By now billions have been wasted directly, and trillions indirectly, based entirely on wishful thinking, and this is still basically the best they have: may be, could be, in some, possibly. Meanwhile anyone reading how this is unfolding through the news media, reading articles written by patients or featuring their voices, can see how this is all completely disastrous.

The way medicine works is completely unfit for solving problems like this. It's not even close to be adequate. They basically get stuck putting pants on their heads for years and no one even cares. It makes the Theranos fraud seem like stealing candy from a baby by comparison, a tiny misdemeanor with no consequence.

The golden age of pseudoscience. It's like the old days of odd myths and rituals with magical artifacts, except without the artifacts, just the bizarre myths and rituals.
 
A quick look at their study shows the following:
1. all patients had been hospitalised.
2. High dropout in both treatments groups, only 40 out of 56 (71%) face-to-face, 38 out of 62 (61%) remote completed 75% of the intervention and the follow-up measures yet this was 60 out of 62 (98%) in the usual-care participants.
3. patients with more severe PEM were excluded.
4. The other patients did not have problems with the exercise program, which means that by definition they did not suffer from PEM, even though the study claims they did.
5. Study does not provide a definition of PEM
6. Their statement that only “Some patients with post-COVID syndrome experience PEM/PESE” is contradicted by the literature which shows that between 50 and 85% of Long Covid patients suffer from it.
7. Their conclusion that exercise treatment is safe and effective for long Covid and is good for their immune system, will harm many patients.

Full article:

Post-Hospitalisation COVID-19 Rehabilitation (PHOSP-R): a randomised controlled trial of exercise-based rehabilitation - PMC

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
 
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