Investigation of Respiratory Muscle Strength, Exercise Capacity, Physical Activity and Sleep Quality Level in Individuals With Covid-19 Infection

COVID-19 infection was identified in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019 and turned into a pandemic in a short time. In our country, the pandemic continues at full speed and patients are being treated in various clinical pictures. In its clinical classification, the World Health Organization (WHO) divides COVID-19 disease into four stages: mild symptomatic disease, pneumonia, severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), sepsis and advanced stage with septic shock. Case reports and cross-sectional studies report a list of more than 200 different symptoms in the development of post COVID-19 syndrome. Shortness of breath, persistent smell and taste disturbances, fatigue and neuropsychological symptoms (headache, memory loss, slowed thinking, anxiety, depression and sleep disturbances) are the most commonly reported symptoms. Musculoskeletal symptoms such as pain (myalgia), muscle weakness, arthralgia and fatigue are also common. Exercise endurance tests are used to predict the prognosis of the disease in chronic lung diseases, to determine functional exercise capacity, to evaluate the response of the disease to treatment and to interpret the results of clinical trials. Covid-19-induced lung infections and long periods of isolation may have negative effects on respiratory muscle strength, pulmonary function values and physical activity level. It has been reported that only one week of bed rest can cause serious muscle loss of up to 20%. Covid-19 infection increases the likelihood of asthma-like symptoms. In some cases, pneumonia and increased dyspnea are also seen. When volleyball players with Covid-19 infection were examined, respiratory muscle strength and fev1/fvc values were lower than expected.

When looking at the interaction between infections and sleep, it was observed that different infections had different effects on sleep, with some infections increasing the amount of sleep while others decreased it. The increase in inflammatory mediators associated with systemic infection is thought to increase the amount of REM sleep and total sleep duration, perhaps in an effort to conserve energy and counteract infection. Some infections have a negative effect on the immune system, reducing the amount of sleep. Covid infection is also thought to have negative effects on sleep. The symptoms of COVID-19 in the chronic phase can further negatively affect physiological, psychological and social outcomes, physical activity and ultimately muscle performance and quality. Post-infection physical function and fitness can worsen even two years after the disease.

In COVID-19 patients recovering 3 months after hospital discharge, limitations were mainly related to reduced muscle mass, low oxidative capacity or both, rather than cardiac or respiratory exercise limitation.

Symptoms experienced during Covid-19 infection are thought to have negative effects on exercise endurance. In order to meet the metabolic needs of the musculoskeletal system muscles during exercise, cardiac output, ventilation, pulmonary and systemic blood flow, oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange in a way to maintain acid-base balance and oxygenation, and their compatible response to each other are required. Exercise endurance assessments are an important parameter to determine the functional level of the patient. Eighty-eight percent of individuals with Covid-19 infection showed a decrease in respiratory muscle strength in the evaluation performed 5 months later. The direct effect of respiratory muscles may cause permanent dyspnea problems. Muscle strength, exercise capacity, dyspnea perception, fatigue severity perception, pain, balance, kinesiophobia, psychosocial and cognitive status, quality of life should be routinely evaluated in the post-COVID-19 period in patients admitted to the clinic, and a targeted functional rehabilitation program should be prepared in the light of these evaluations, taking these parameters into consideration during the rehabilitation process.