Long-term health consequences of COVID-19 in young adults: a focus on respiratory and cardiovascular endurance.

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted health, extending beyond the acute phase of illness. Among young adults, "long COVID" has raised concerns regarding respiratory and cardiovascular endurance. This study evaluates pulmonary function test (PFT), distance travelled in the 6-min walk test (6MWT), and changes in SpO2 and respiratory rate before and after 6MWT in COVID-19 convalescent patients compared to healthy controls.

METHODS

This case-control study included 45 controls and 45 COVID-19 convalescent patients confirmed by RT-PCR. Data on PFT, distance travelled in 6MWT, SpO2, and respiratory rate were collected. The associations were analyzed using the Student t-test and ANOVA, with p < 0.05 considered significant.

RESULTS

Significant reductions were observed in FVC (p = 0.02), FEV (p = 0.007), FEF (p = 0.0001), FEF (p = 0.003), FEF (p = 0.02), and PEFR (p = 0.0001), with an increased lung age (p = 0.01) in COVID-19 convalescent patients compared to controls. No significant difference was observed in FEV/FVC ratio, FEV, FEV/FVC ratio, or FEF. While percentage saturation of oxygen, respiratory rate, and distance travelled in 6MWT showed no significant differences between groups, respiratory rate (p = 0.0001) and pulse rate (p = 0.001) differed significantly before and after 6MWT.

CONCLUSIONS

COVID-19 convalescent patients exhibited significant declines in FVC, FEV, FEF, FEF, and FEF, indicating potential restrictive or obstructive lung defects. Increased lung age also suggests long-term impacts of SARS-CoV-2 on respiratory performance.