• Dana Yelin, Ran Levi, Chinanit Babu, Roi Moshe, Dorit Shitenberg, Alaa Atamna, Ori Tishler, Tanya Babich, Irit Shapira-Lichter, Donna Abecasis, Nira Cohen Zubary, Leonard Leibovici, Dafna Yahav, and Ili Margalit.
• Department of COVID Recovery Clinic, Rabin Medical Center (Beilinson Campus), Petah Tikva, Israel, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.
• Isr Med Assoc J. 2023 Feb 1; 25 (2): 838783-87.

BackgroundClinical investigations of long-term effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are rarely translated to objective findings.ObjectivesTo assess the functional capacity of individuals reported on deconditioning that hampered their return to their pre-COVID routine.MethodsAssessment included the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and the 30-second sit-to-stand test (30-STST). We compared the expected and observed scores using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Predictors of test scores were identified using linear regression models.ResultsWe included 49 individuals, of whom 38 (77.6%) were recovering from mild COVID-19. Twenty-seven (55.1%) individuals had a 6MWT score lower than 80% of expected. The average 6MWT scores were 129.5 ± 121.2 meters and 12.2 ± 5.0 repeats lower than expected scores, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). The 6MWT score was 107.3 meters lower for individuals with severe COVID-19 (P = 0.013) and rose by 2.7 meters per each 1% increase in the diffusing capacity of carbon monoxide (P = 0.007). The 30-STST score was 3.0 repeats lower for individuals who reported moderate to severe myalgia (P = 0.038).ConclusionsIndividuals with long COVID who report on deconditioning exhibit significantly decreased physical capacity, even following mild acute illness. Risk factors include severe COVID-19 and impaired diffusing capacity or myalgia during recovery.

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