Evaluation of Exercise Capacity in Individuals Who Has Recovered From COVID-19 Using Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing and the Effect of Aerobic Exercise Training

Q: What are the key findings of this study?

Physical activity and exercise in Long COVID must be approached with caution, screening for post-exertional symptom exacerbation, cardiac impairment, and exertional oxygen desaturation.

Q: What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Review. Population: Long COVID. Intervention: Physical activity and exercise.

Gaye NARİN; Selda Sarıkaya; Şenay ÖZDOLAP ÇOBAN; Tuğçe KÖKSAL; Sümeyra Nur TABANLI

doi:10.31609/jpmrs.2024-106604

January 1, 2026Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Bilimleri DergisiOpen Access

Evaluation of Exercise Capacity in Individuals Who Has Recovered From COVID-19 Using Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing and the Effect of Aerobic Exercise Training

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Key result

Long COVID exercise requires caution and screening for cardiac impairment, exertional desaturation, and symptom exacerbation.

Why the study?

Reduced exercise capacity following COVID-19 infection may affect long-term health and quality of life, prompting the need to assess baseline exercise capacity and the effects of aerobic exercise training.

Does structured aerobic exercise training improve cardiopulmonary exercise capacity in patients recovered from COVID-19?

Key Points

The aim is to evaluate exercise capacity in individuals recovering from COVID-19 and the effects of an aerobic exercise training program.
Conducted a prospective trial with 14 COVID-19 recovery patients and a matched control group of 15 healthy individuals.
Participants underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing to assess VO2max, oxygen uptake at anaerobic threshold, ventilatory anaerobic threshold, heart rate recovery, and respiratory exchange ratio.
COVID-19 patients participated in 15 sessions of structured aerobic exercise training.
No significant difference in respiratory exchange ratio and ventilatory anaerobic threshold between COVID-19 patients and control group (p>0.05).
Basal VO2max and 1-minute heart rate recovery were significantly lower in COVID-19 patients (p<0.05).
Post-training, significant improvements were observed in VO2max and ventilatory anaerobic threshold values for patients (p<0.05).

Structured PICO

Does structured aerobic exercise training improve cardiopulmonary exercise capacity in patients recovered from COVID-19?

P

Population

29 individuals aged 18-55 years, comprising 14 post-COVID-19 patients and 15 healthy matched controls.

I

Intervention

15 sessions of structured aerobic exercise training

C

Comparator

Healthy matched controls (for baseline comparison) and pre-treatment baseline (for intervention effect)

O

Outcome

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) parameters including maximal oxygen capacity (VO2max), oxygen uptake at the anaerobic threshold (VO2AT), ventilatory anaerobic threshold (VAT), heart rate recovery (HRR), and respiratory exchange ratio (RER)surrogate

Structured aerobic exercise training significantly improves reduced cardiorespiratory capacity in individuals recovering from COVID-19.

Limitations

Insufficient evidence exists to guide best practice for safe and effective rehabilitation in people living with Long COVID.

Ask about this paper

Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.

Implication

Reduced VO2max and HRR post-COVID may signal lingering impairment; hypothesis-generating for aerobic training efficacy in prospective trials.

Abstract

Amaç: Koronavirüs hastalığı-2019 [coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19)] enfeksiyonu sonrası, uzun vadede sağlık ve yaşam kalitesini etkileyebilecek şekilde azalmış egzersiz kapasitesi görülebilir. Kardiyopulmoner egzersiz testi (KPET), fonksiyonel kapasiteyi ve iyileşmeyi değerlendirmedeki etkinliği yüksek bir testtir. Bu çalışmada, COVID-19 enfeksiyonu sonrası temel egzersiz kapasitesini değerlendirmeyi ve yapılandırılmış bir aerobik egzersiz eğitim programının, fonksiyonel kapasite üzerine etkilerini değerlendirmeyi amaçladık. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Bu prospektif çalışmaya, 18-55 yaş aralığındaki 14 COVID-19 sonrası hasta ile 15 sağlıklı bireyden oluşan eşleştirilmiş bir kontrol grubu dahil edildi. Tüm katılımcılar, maksimal oksijen kapasitesi (VO2max), anaerobik eşik düzeyindeki oksijen tüketimi [oxygen uptake at the anaerobic threshold (VO2AT)], ventilatuar anaerobik eşik [ventilatory anaerobic threshold (VAT)], kalp hızı toparlanması [heart rate recovery (HRR)] ve solunum değişim oranı [respiratory exchange ratio (RER)] parametreleri açısından tedavi öncesinde KPET ile değerlendirildi. COVID-19 sonrası hastalar, 15 seans aerobik egzersiz tedavisi aldı ve tedavi sonrasında KPET ile yeniden değerlendirildi. Bulgular: COVID-19 sonrası hastalar ile kontrol grubu arasında RER ve VAT açısından anlamlı bir fark olmadığını gösterdi (p>0,05). Ancak bazal VO2max ve 1. dk HRR, COVID-19 sonrası hastalarda belirgin olarak düşüktü (p<0,05). Aerobik egzersiz programının uygulanması sonrası ise hastaların VO2max ve VAT değerlerinde anlamlı iyileşmeler gözlendi (p<0,05). Sonuç: Çalışma bulguları, COVID-19 enfeksiyonu sonrası bireylerde kardiyorespiratuar kapasitenin azaldığını ortaya koymuştur. Uygulanan yapılandırılmış aerobik egzersiz eğitimi sonrasında, kardiyopulmoner ve metabolik parametrelerde anlamlı iyileşme ile fonksiyonel kapasitede artış saptanmıştır.

Discussion

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Cite This Study

NARİN et al. (2026) conducted a review in Long COVID. Physical activity and exercise was evaluated. Physical activity and exercise in Long COVID must be approached with caution, screening for post-exertional symptom exacerbation, cardiac impairment, and exertional oxygen desaturation.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a025f2ec9581ed855361d35 https://doi.org/10.31609/jpmrs.2024-106604

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Evaluation of Exercise Capacity in Individuals Who Has Recovered From COVID-19 Using Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing and the Effect of Aerobic Exercise Training

Key Points

Structured PICO

Limitations

Ask about this paper

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

Evaluation of Exercise Capacity in Individuals Who Has Recovered From COVID-19 Using Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing and the Effect of Aerobic Exercise Training

Key Points

Structured PICO

Limitations

Ask about this paper

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

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