Long-term outcomes of different rehabilitation programs in patients with long COVID syndrome: a cohort prospective study

After the resolution of the acute SARS-COV-2 infection, an important percentage of patients do not fully recover and continue to present several symptoms. Nevertheless, there is a lack of data in the literature on the effects of rehabilitation programs on medium- and long-term long COVID symptoms....

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Main Authors: Irina A. Grishechkina, Andrey A. Lobanov, Sergei V. Andronov, Andrey P. Rachin, Anatoliy D. Fesyun, Elena P. Ivanova, Stefano Masiero, Maria Chiara Maccarone
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PAGEPress Publications 2023-04-01
Series:European Journal of Translational Myology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.pagepressjournals.org/index.php/bam/article/view/11063
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author Irina A. Grishechkina
Andrey A. Lobanov
Sergei V. Andronov
Andrey P. Rachin
Anatoliy D. Fesyun
Elena P. Ivanova
Stefano Masiero
Maria Chiara Maccarone
author_facet Irina A. Grishechkina
Andrey A. Lobanov
Sergei V. Andronov
Andrey P. Rachin
Anatoliy D. Fesyun
Elena P. Ivanova
Stefano Masiero
Maria Chiara Maccarone
author_sort Irina A. Grishechkina
collection DOAJ
description After the resolution of the acute SARS-COV-2 infection, an important percentage of patients do not fully recover and continue to present several symptoms. Nevertheless, there is a lack of data in the literature on the effects of rehabilitation programs on medium- and long-term long COVID symptoms. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes after rehabilitation programs in long COVID syndrome patients. A prospective cohort study was conducted from August 2021 to March 2022, involving 113 patients with long COVID syndrome. The patients in the experimental group (EG, n=25) received a tailored and multidisciplinary rehabilitative program, involving aquatic exercises, respiratory and motor exercises, social integration training and neuropsychologic sessions, LASER therapy and magnetotherapy. Patients in the other three comparison groups received eastern medicine techniques (CG1), balneotherapy and physiotherapy (group CG2), self-training and home-based physical exercise (CG3). Once the several rehabilitation protocols had been performed, a structured telephone contact was made with the patients after 6 months ± 7 days from the end of the rehabilitation treatment, in order to record the frequency of hospital ad-missions due to exacerbation of post-exacerbation syndrome, death or disability, and the need for other types of care or drugs. The patients in the comparison groups were more likely to request therapeutic care for emerging long COVID symptoms (χ2=6.635, p=0.001; χ2=13.463, p=0.001; χ2=10.949, p=0.001, respectively), as well as more likely to be hospitalized (χ2=5.357, p=0.021; χ2=0.125, p=0.724; χ2=0.856, p=0.355, respectively) when compared to the patients of the EG. The relative risk (RR) of hospital admissions in the observed cohort was 0.143 ±1,031 (СI: 0.019; 1.078); 0.580±1,194 (CI: 0.056; 6.022); 0,340±1,087 (CI: 0.040; 2.860). The RR of hospital admissions for patients with long COVID syndrome was reduced by 85.7%; 42.0% and 66.0%, respectively, when the experimental rehabilitation technique was employed. In conclusion, a tailored and multidisciplinary rehabilitative program seems to have a better preventive effect not only in the short term, but also over the next 6 months, avoiding the new onset of disabilities and the use of medicines and specialist advice, than other rehabilitative programs. Future studies will need to further investigate these aspects to identify the best rehabilitation therapy, also in terms of cost-effectiveness, for these patients.
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spelling doaj.art-56d4f3b5671044b6a1fb7dc751faadbf2023-04-13T22:46:09ZengPAGEPress PublicationsEuropean Journal of Translational Myology2037-74522037-74602023-04-0110.4081/ejtm.2023.11063Long-term outcomes of different rehabilitation programs in patients with long COVID syndrome: a cohort prospective studyIrina A. Grishechkina0Andrey A. Lobanov 1Sergei V. Andronov2Andrey P. Rachin3Anatoliy D. Fesyun4Elena P. Ivanova5Stefano Masiero6Maria Chiara Maccarone7National Medical Research Center, MoscowNational Medical Research Center, MoscowNational Medical Research Center, MoscowNational Medical Research Center, MoscowNational Medical Research Center, Moscow, Russia; Moscow State University of Food Production, MoscowNational Medical Research Center, MoscowPhysical Medicine and Rehabilitation School, Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Padua, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation Unit, University of Padova, PaduaPhysical Medicine and Rehabilitation School, Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Padua After the resolution of the acute SARS-COV-2 infection, an important percentage of patients do not fully recover and continue to present several symptoms. Nevertheless, there is a lack of data in the literature on the effects of rehabilitation programs on medium- and long-term long COVID symptoms. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes after rehabilitation programs in long COVID syndrome patients. A prospective cohort study was conducted from August 2021 to March 2022, involving 113 patients with long COVID syndrome. The patients in the experimental group (EG, n=25) received a tailored and multidisciplinary rehabilitative program, involving aquatic exercises, respiratory and motor exercises, social integration training and neuropsychologic sessions, LASER therapy and magnetotherapy. Patients in the other three comparison groups received eastern medicine techniques (CG1), balneotherapy and physiotherapy (group CG2), self-training and home-based physical exercise (CG3). Once the several rehabilitation protocols had been performed, a structured telephone contact was made with the patients after 6 months ± 7 days from the end of the rehabilitation treatment, in order to record the frequency of hospital ad-missions due to exacerbation of post-exacerbation syndrome, death or disability, and the need for other types of care or drugs. The patients in the comparison groups were more likely to request therapeutic care for emerging long COVID symptoms (χ2=6.635, p=0.001; χ2=13.463, p=0.001; χ2=10.949, p=0.001, respectively), as well as more likely to be hospitalized (χ2=5.357, p=0.021; χ2=0.125, p=0.724; χ2=0.856, p=0.355, respectively) when compared to the patients of the EG. The relative risk (RR) of hospital admissions in the observed cohort was 0.143 ±1,031 (СI: 0.019; 1.078); 0.580±1,194 (CI: 0.056; 6.022); 0,340±1,087 (CI: 0.040; 2.860). The RR of hospital admissions for patients with long COVID syndrome was reduced by 85.7%; 42.0% and 66.0%, respectively, when the experimental rehabilitation technique was employed. In conclusion, a tailored and multidisciplinary rehabilitative program seems to have a better preventive effect not only in the short term, but also over the next 6 months, avoiding the new onset of disabilities and the use of medicines and specialist advice, than other rehabilitative programs. Future studies will need to further investigate these aspects to identify the best rehabilitation therapy, also in terms of cost-effectiveness, for these patients. https://www.pagepressjournals.org/index.php/bam/article/view/11063Long COVID syndromerehabilitationexercise therapyrelative riskbalneotherapyhealth resort medicine
spellingShingle Irina A. Grishechkina
Andrey A. Lobanov
Sergei V. Andronov
Andrey P. Rachin
Anatoliy D. Fesyun
Elena P. Ivanova
Stefano Masiero
Maria Chiara Maccarone
Long-term outcomes of different rehabilitation programs in patients with long COVID syndrome: a cohort prospective study
European Journal of Translational Myology
Long COVID syndrome
rehabilitation
exercise therapy
relative risk
balneotherapy
health resort medicine
title Long-term outcomes of different rehabilitation programs in patients with long COVID syndrome: a cohort prospective study
title_full Long-term outcomes of different rehabilitation programs in patients with long COVID syndrome: a cohort prospective study
title_fullStr Long-term outcomes of different rehabilitation programs in patients with long COVID syndrome: a cohort prospective study
title_full_unstemmed Long-term outcomes of different rehabilitation programs in patients with long COVID syndrome: a cohort prospective study
title_short Long-term outcomes of different rehabilitation programs in patients with long COVID syndrome: a cohort prospective study
title_sort long term outcomes of different rehabilitation programs in patients with long covid syndrome a cohort prospective study
topic Long COVID syndrome
rehabilitation
exercise therapy
relative risk
balneotherapy
health resort medicine
url https://www.pagepressjournals.org/index.php/bam/article/view/11063
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