Molecular Hydrogen Positively Affects Physical and Respiratory Function in Acute Post-COVID-19 Patients: A New Perspective in Rehabilitation.

Michal Botek,Barbora Sládečková,Iva Klimešová,Petr Konečný,Andrew McKune,Dalibor Pastucha,Jakub Krejčí,Michal Valenta

doi:10.3390/ijerph19041992

Abstract

Molecular hydrogen (H2) is potentially a novel therapeutic gas for acute post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients because it has antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis, and antifatigue properties. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of 14 days of H2 inhalation on the respiratory and physical fitness status of acute post-COVID-19 patients. This randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled study included 26 males (44 ± 17 years) and 24 females (38 ± 12 years), who performed a 6-min walking test (6 MWT) and pulmonary function test, specifically forced vital capacity (FVC) and expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1). Symptomatic participants were recruited between 21 and 33 days after a positive polymerase chain reaction test. The experiment consisted of H2/placebo inhalation, 2 × 60 min/day for 14 days. Results showed that H2 therapy, compared with placebo, significantly increased 6 MWT distance by 64 ± 39 m, FVC by 0.19 ± 0.24 L, and, in FEV1, by 0.11 ± 0.28 L (all p ≤ 0.025). In conclusion, H2 inhalation had beneficial health effects in terms of improved physical and respiratory function in acute post-COVID-19 patients. Therefore, H2 inhalation may represent a safe, effective approach for accelerating early function restoration in post-COVID-19 patients.

Highlights

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is responsible for the worldwide unpredictable pandemic situation
Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome commonly manifests as a variety of persistent symptoms, such as severe fatigue, shortness of breath [3], headache, and attention disorder [4], that occur beyond 4 weeks from the onset of COVID-19 symptoms [5]
Inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) age, 18–65 years; (2) with laboratoryconfirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay of nasal and pharyngeal swabs for COVID-19; (3) non-vaccinated and with manifestation of the self-reported clinical symptoms of COVID-19 (Table 2); (4) clinically stable to perform pre- and post-laboratory examinations; (5) without a resting oxygen saturation (SpO2 ) below 95%; and (6) having a positive RT-PCR test 21–35 days previously

Summary

Introduction

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is responsible for the worldwide unpredictable pandemic situation. To date (9 November 2021), statistical data indicated ~250 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 5 million deaths globally (https://ourworldindata.org, accessed on 9 November 2021). COVID-19 patients typically exhibit clinical symptoms such as a fever, headache, dry cough, shortness of breath, and severe fatigue [1,2]. Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome commonly manifests as a variety of persistent symptoms, such as severe fatigue, shortness of breath [3], headache, and attention disorder [4], that occur beyond 4 weeks from the onset of COVID-19 symptoms [5]. Mehta et al [6] suggested that the residual abnormalities in health status after.

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