• Sakshi Garg, Preeti Saini, Moattar Raza Rizvi, Fuzail Ahmad, Mohammed AlTaweel, Zia Ul Sabah, Humayoun K Durrani, Shatha A Almasswary, Mohamed K Seyam, Ankita Sharma, Irshad Ahmad, Sara Al Marzoogi, Mohammad A Shaphe, and Shadab Uddin.
• Department of Physiotherapy, School of Allied Health Sciences, Manav Rachna International Institute and Studies (MRIIRS), Faridabad 121001, India.
• Medicina (Kaunas). 2023 Jul 30; 59 (8).

AbstractBackground and Objectives: Analyzing the cardiac autonomic function in COVID-19 patients can provide insights into the impact of the virus on the heart's regulatory mechanisms and its recovery. The autonomic nervous system plays a crucial role in regulating the heart's functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and cardiac output. This study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on heart rate variability (HRV) during a 6-min walk test (6MWT). Materials and Methods: The study included 74 participants, consisting of 37 individuals who had recovered from mild to moderate COVID-19 and 37 healthy controls. The study assessed heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure both before and after a 6-min walk test (6MWT). Results: The study found significant differences in a few time domains (SDNN and pNN50) and all frequency domain measures, whereas there were no significant differences in demographic characteristics or blood pressure between COVID-19-recovered individuals and healthy controls at rest. There were significant 6MWT effects on average HR, time-domain (SDNN and pNN50) measures of HRV, and all frequency domain measures of HRV. A significant group × 6MWT interaction was found for SDNN, pNN50, total power, Ln total power, LF, HF, Ln LF, Ln HF, and LF nu. Conclusions: Cardiac Autonomic analysis through HRV is essential to ensure the continued health and well-being of COVID-19 survivors and to minimize the potential long-term impacts of the disease on their cardiovascular system. This suggests that HRV analysis during the recovery phase following exercise could serve as a valuable tool for evaluating the physiological effects of COVID-19 and monitoring the recovery process.

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