Goulart, Cássia da Luz; Federal University of Sao Carlos, UFSCar, Sao Carlos, Brazil.
Maldaner, Vinícius;Alves, Carla Cristina de Araújo;Milani, Mauricio;
Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine,2025 Aug 12
- Introduction and Aim: Long COVID, characterized by persistent symptoms after acute infection, poses a major public health challenge. Understanding its long-term effects is crucial, particularly in relation to cardiorespiratory recovery. This study aimed to assess changes in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and pulmonary function (PF) over 12 months following acute COVID-19, addressing a significant gap in current knowledge about the disease’s lasting impact.
- Methods: This prospective cohort study included 29 individuals previously diagnosed with post-acute COVID-19. The baseline data were collected during the acute phase of infection . Participants underwent clinical evaluation, cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), spirometry, and maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) measurement at baseline and again after 12 months.
- Results: After one-year, significant improvements were observed across several CPET parameters, including VE/MVV ratio (Cohen’s D = 0.66), peak oxygen uptake (VO 2 peak) in both absolute and relative terms (ml/min: d = 0.67; and ml/kg/min: d = 0.45), oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES; D = 0.47) and a reduction in VE/VCO 2 slope ( D = 0.80). Pulmonary function improved with increases in % predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1 ; d = 0.67) and forced vital capacity (FVC; D = 0.67). MIP improved significantly ( D = 0.67), and the prevalence of inspiratory muscle weakness decreased from 20.7% at baseline to 3.5% at follow-up.
- Conclusion: Despite the severity of their initial illness, patients demonstrated substantial recovery in CRF, PF, and inspiratory muscle strength over 12 months.