Long-COVID: symptomatic and functional analysis post pulmonary rehabilitation

Abstract

Objective: to analyze the symptomatic and functional profile of patients with long-term COVID-19 after physiotherapeutic intervention. Methods: This was an analytical-descriptive, longitudinal, prospective and quantitative study, of both sexes, with diagnostic confirmation of post-COVID-19 patients referred for pulmonary rehabilitation, after spirometry and chest computed tomography. Patients answered a sociodemographic questionnaire and were submitted to the following scales: Medical Research Council (MRC) and Functional Independence Measure (FIM) to measure the degree of dyspnea and functionality of patients. Data collection was performed using Microsoft Excel software version 2010 for descriptive statistics, with data correlation and bivariate analysis, using the R software (R Core Team) version 2019, considering a significance level of 95%, p<0.05. The research was approved by the Research Ethics Committee under opinion number 4,897,987. Results: The sample consisted of 30 volunteers for COVID-19 after pulmonary rehabilitation, in which the male gender was prevalent (73%), the mean age was 53.4 years and 60% had the disease in its severe form; the first symptoms of the disease were not related to the history of hospitalization; a mild degree of dyspnea (MRC), restrictive disorders on spirometry and changes in cognitive behavior were observed in FIM category 6. Conclusion: It is inferred that the patients had a positive outcome in the long-term functional impact, however, the persistence of some symptoms was still detected. This finding highlights the need for continuous monitoring, as the post-COVID-19 syndrome premise is increasingly strengthened, causing long-term public health disorders.