Prolonged COVID May Affect Exercise Response and Recovery in Women
Prolonged or post-acute COVID syndrome is characterized by a multitude of symptoms that persist beyond the acute phase for 3 to 4 weeks after contracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Women hospitalized with COVID-19 are more likely to have
persistent deficits in cardiovascular and lung function than men in the months
after discharge.
A new study had found that even women with mild to moderate
COVID-19 may experience a slower drop in their resting heart rate after
physical activity in the post-acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Such deficits in cardiovascular function during exercise are
associated with a reduced ability to exercise and potentially activities of
daily living.
Women with long-term specific COVID symptoms, namely
shortness of breath or joint or muscle pain, were also more limited in their
ability to take a walk test than people who had had a SARS-CoV-2 infection. but
they had no persistent symptoms. .
Although most people recover within the first 3-4 weeks
after contracting COVID-19, a significant number continue to experience
symptoms that persist for weeks to months after this initial or acute phase of
the illness.
These symptoms, which people collectively refer to as
long-term or post-acute COVID-19, include shortness of breath, loss of smell
and taste, mental confusion, headaches and fatigue.
Study have shown that more than semi of the people
hospitalized with COVID-19 during the initial phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection
have persistent deficiencies in cardiovascular and lung function several months
after discharge. Additionally, women hospitalized with severe COVID-19 are more
likely than men to have such persistent deficits in cardiovascular and lung
function after discharge.
People can have persistent symptoms during the post-acute
phase of COVID-19, regardless of the severity of symptoms during the acute
phase of the disease. The effects of mild to moderate COVID-19 on lung and
cardiovascular function and subsequently on daily physical functioning during
the post-acute phase are not well understood.
Researchers at Indiana University, Bloomington, recently
looked at how mild to moderate COVID-19 affects exercise capacity or tolerance
during the post-acute phase in women. Tolerance or ability to exercise refers
to the ability of a person's cardiovascular system to maintain physical
activity.
The researchers used a stress test called the 6-minute walk
test to assess the persistent effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the women's
cardiovascular function during the post-acute phase of infection.
They found that women with COVID-19 who had mild to moderate
illness during the acute phase had a slower drop in their heart rate after the
6-minute walk test than did participants in the control group. This difference
was more pronounced in women with prolonged active COVID symptoms.
However, it is encouraging that they found no statistically
significant differences in a variety of other measurements, including oxygen
saturations before and after the test, heart rate before and after the test,
exercise scores, perceived perception and results. ratings of perceived
shortness of breath.
“It is also plausible that persistent symptoms, particularly
muscle / joint pain and / or shortness of breath, may trigger an inappropriate
regimen that accelerates systemic deconditioning. However, more research is
needed. "
