Functional respiratory complaints among COVID-19 survivors: a prospective cohort study.
ERJ Open Res
; 9(3)2023 Jul.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37131523
ABSTRACT
Background:
Dyspnoea is a common persistent symptom after COVID-19. Whether it is associated with functional respiratory disorders remains unclear.Methods:
We assessed the proportion and characteristics of patients with "functional respiratory complaints" (FRCs) (as defined by Nijmegen Questionnaire >22) among 177 post-COVID-19 individuals who benefited from outclinic evaluation in the COMEBAC study (i.e., symptomatic and/or intensive care unit (ICU) survivors at 4â months). In a distinct explanatory cohort of 21 consecutive individuals with unexplained post-COVID-19 dyspnoea after routine tests, we also analysed the physiological responses to incremental cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET).Findings:
In the COMEBAC cohort, 37 patients had significant FRCs (20.9%, IC95 14.9-26.9). The prevalence of FRCs ranged from 7.2% (ICU patients) to 37.5% (non-ICU patients). The presence of FRCs was significantly associated with more severe dyspnoea, lower 6-min walk distance, more frequent psychological and neurological symptoms (cognitive complaint, anxiety, depression, insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorders) and poorer quality of life (all p<0.01). In the explanatory cohort, seven out of 21 patients had significant FRCs. Based on CPET, dysfunctional breathing was identified in 12 out of 21 patients, five out of 21 had normal CPET, three out of 21 had deconditioning and one out of 21 had evidence of uncontrolled cardiovascular disease.Interpretation:
FRCs are common during post-COVID-19 follow-up, especially among patients with unexplained dyspnoea. Diagnosis of dysfunctional breathing should be considered in those cases.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Aspects:
Patient_preference
Language:
En
Journal:
ERJ Open Res
Year:
2023
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Francia