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

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Abstract 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.

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