Impact of post-COVID-19 condition on health status and functional capacity: a cross-sectional study

To assess health status and functional capacity in adults with post-COVID-19 condition. Observational, retrospective cross-sectional study. Outpatients from the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department of the Hospital Fernando Pessoa, Porto, Portugal, were included. A convenient sample included 54 participants aged over 18 years old (52.4 6 15.5 years, 61% female), with diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection at least 12 weeks before the study, persistent or new-onset symptomatology consistent with post-COVID-19 condition. Clinical assessment included the collection of symptoms (COVID-19 Questionnaire and Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea scale), lung function (spirometry), functional capacity (1-minute-sit-to-stand test and the 6-minute walk test), and emotional status (Anxiety, Depression, and Stress Scale). A total of 46.3% of participants reported fatigue, 29.6% dry cough, 24.1% dyspnea, 24.1% myalgia, 22.2% weakness, and 20.4% memory loss. On functional capacity, 1-minute-sit-to-stand (20.1 6 5.7) and 6-minute walk test (483.0 6 110.3) performances were lower than the predicted values (P , .001). Adults with post-COVID condition in this study demonstrated evidence of reduced health status and functional capacity. These findings highlight the potential long-term effects of COVID-19.

Keywords

COVID-19 Lung Dyspnea Mental disorders

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.22/30466

Citation

Pereira, A., Amaral, L., Dias, I., Magalhães, A., Abreu, V., Esteves, M., Vilarinho, R., & Cervaens, M. (2025). Impact of Post-COVID-19 Condition on Health Status and Functional Capacity: A Cross-Sectional Study. Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy Journal, 36(1), 74. https://doi.org/10.1097/CPT.0000000000000272