Maximal oxygen uptake, pulmonary function and walking economy are not impaired in patients diagnosed with long COVID, 2024, Berg et al

Maximal oxygen uptake, pulmonary function and walking economy are not impaired in patients diagnosed with long COVID

OK Berg, N Aagård, J Helgerud, MF Brobakken, J Hoff, E Wang

Introduction
SARS-CoV-2 may result in the development of new symptoms, known as long COVID, a few months after the original infection.

Purpose
It is elusive to what extent physical capacity in patients diagnosed with long COVID is impacted.

Methods
We compared maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O2max), one of the single most important factors for cardiovascular health and mortality, expired lung volumes and air flow, oxygen cost of walking and 6-min-walking-test (6MWT), in 20 patients diagnosed with long COVID (11 males and 9 females; 44 ± 16 years (SD); 26.7 ± 3.8BMI, duration of acute phase 1.7 ± 1.2 weeks, tested 4 ± 3 months after long COVID diagnosis) with 20 healthy age and sex matched controls (11 males and 9 females; 44 ± 16 years; 25.9 ± 4.0BMI).

Results
Long COVID patients had a V̇O2max of 41.4 ± 16.2 mL∙kg−1∙min−1(men) and 38.2 ± 7.5 (women) and this was not different from controls. Similarly, mean spirometry measures in the patient group (VC; FVC; FEV1; FEV1/FVC) were also not different (85–106%) from predicted healthy values. Finally, inclined treadmill (5%, 4 km∙h−1) walking economy was not different between the groups (long COVID: 15.2 ± 1.1 mL∙kg−1∙min−1; controls: 15.2 ± 1.2 mL∙kg−1∙min−1), while the 6MWT revealed a difference (long COVID: 606 ± 118 m; controls: 685 ± 85 m; p = 0.036)

Conclusion
V̇O2max, oxygen cost of walking, and spirometry measurements did not appear to be impaired in patients diagnosed with long COVID with a prior mild to moderate SARS-CoV-2 infection. The typical outcomes in these essential factors for health and longevity implies that while long COVID can present with a range of symptoms, caution should be made when attributing these symptoms directly to compromised pulmonary function or V̇O2max.

Link | PDF (European Journal of Applied Physiology) [Open Access]

 

We knew that in January 2020.

Put alternatively however, it can also be said that the symptoms of these patients are also not due to deconditioning.

As for the rest, the total lack of discussion of 2 day CPETs suggests these researchers either don't know much about ME/CFS research (nor the exercise physiology of fatigubility), or they don't care.

 

A response has been posted to this paper:

No impairment of maximal oxygen uptake in patients diagnosed with long COVID?

René Garbsch, Frank C. Mooren & Boris Schmitz

Link | PDF