Long COVID and Post-exertional Pulmonary Diffusion (Long_COVID_Ex)

IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino - IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genoa, Italy

Status: Completed

Conditions: Alveolar Lung Disease; Long COVID; Exercise Intolerance; Breathlessness; Pulmonary Gas Exchange

Treatments: Diagnostic Test: Lung volumes, spirometry and standard single-breath DLCO were measured at rest while combined DLNO and DLCO were measured at rest and post-exercise

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05430503

Long_COVID_Exer_DLNO_DLCO

Details and patient eligibility

About

Aim of investigators was to study whether abnormalities of lung diffusing capacity for nitric oxide (DLNO) and carbon monoxide (DLCO) in long COVID may have a clinical impact in relation to exercise intolerance.

Full description

Prolonged recovery from acute coronavirus disease 2019 (long COVID) is characterized in about 30% of subjects from breathlessness and fatigue also during daily activities often associated to decreased lung diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) at rest. Aim of investigators was to study whether abnormalities of lung diffusing capacity for nitric oxide (DLNO) and DLCO in long COVID may have a clinical impact in relation to exercise intolerance. Combined DLNO and DLCO were simultaneously measured at rest and immediately after a short bout of treadmill walking in 32 dyspneic subjects ≥3 months after the COVID-19 acute phase. A group of healthy subjects served as a control group.

Enrollment: 32 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• History of dyspnea, fatigue, and exercise intolerance persisting or occurring at least 3 months after the COVID-19 acute phase and lasting ≥2 months.

Exclusion criteria

• History of diseases potentially causing dyspnea or affecting pulmonary gas transport, i.e., bronchial asthma, lung bullous disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary interstitial fibrosis or vasculitis, hematological diseases, systemic collagen diseases, congestive heart failure, liver or renal diseases, and morbid obesity.

Trial design

32 participants in 2 patient groups

Long COVID

Description:

Caucasian subjects with a history of SARS CoV-2 infection confirmed by nasopharyngeal swab with real-time polymerase-chain reaction were included in the study. They were referred to investigators' pulmonary function laboratory after being tested negative for SARS-CoV-2, because of dyspnea, fatigue, and exercise intolerance persisting or occurring at least 3 months after the COVID-19 acute phase and lasting ≥2 months.

Treatment:

Diagnostic Test: Lung volumes, spirometry and standard single-breath DLCO were measured at rest while combined DLNO and DLCO were measured at rest and post-exercise

Healthy controls

Description:

Anthropometrically-matched healthy subjects, without history of COVID-19 and vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Treatment:

Diagnostic Test: Lung volumes, spirometry and standard single-breath DLCO were measured at rest while combined DLNO and DLCO were measured at rest and post-exercise