Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of convalescent COVID-19 patients and changes in body composition, pulmonary function tests, laboratory parameters and other outcome measures after pulmonary rehabilitation (PR).
| Variable | Baseline | After PR | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 82 | 82 | ||
| Demographic | |||
| Age, Years | 60.4 ± 10.4 | - | - |
| Male Gender (%) | 85.4 | - | - |
| Active Smokers (%) | 9.8 | - | - |
| History of Smoking (%) | 41.5 | - | - |
| Pack-Years | 20.4 ± 50.6 | - | - |
| Anthropometric | |||
| Weight (kg) | 85.2 ± 18.5 | 83.7 ± 17.3 | 0.069 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 28.9 ± 5.7 | 28.4 ± 5.1 | 0.081 |
| Acute phase COVID-19 | |||
| WHO Class III, Severe (%) | 35.4 | - | - |
| WHO Class IV, Critical (%) | 64.6 | - | - |
| Hospitalization (%) | 68.3 | - | - |
| Length of Stay for Hospitalized Patients (days) | 23.2 ± 10.5 | - | - |
| High-Flow O2 (%) | 26.8 | - | - |
| Mechanical Ventilation (%) | 23.2 | - | - |
| Lung function | |||
| FEV1 (L) | 2.4 ± 0.7 | 2.6 ± 0.7 | <0.001 |
| FEV1% (% predicted) | 77.7 ± 20.3 | 84.5 ± 18.2 | <0.001 |
| FVC (L) | 2.9 ± 0.8 | 3.2 ± 0.8 | <0.001 |
| FVC% (% predicted) | 74.9 ± 18.9 | 82.1 ± 16.4 | <0.001 |
| FEV1/FVC | 82.4 ± 8.7 | 81.6 ± 9.5 | 0.241 |
| DLCO (ml/min/mmHg) | 12.9 ± 6.9 | 12.6 ± 8.2 | 0.094 |
| DLCO% (% predicted) | 57.6 ± 20.0 | 64.2 ± 20.7 | <0.001 |
| DLCO/VA (ml/min/mmHg/L) | 2.9 ± 1.3 | 2.7 ± 1.4 | 0.399 |
| DLCO/VA% (% predicted) | 85.2 ± 18.6 | 89.7 ± 15.0 | 0.004 |
| Arterial blood gas test | |||
| PaO2 (mmHg) | 75.0 ± 14.2 | 82.4 ± 12.9 | <0.001 |
| PaCO2 (mmHg) | 35.6 ± 3.8 | 37.0 ± 2.9 | <0.001 |
| pH | 7.44 ± 0.04 | 7.43 ± 0.04 | 0.070 |
| HCO3 (mEq/L) | 25.2 ± 2.6 | 25.2 ± 2.9 | 0.974 |
| SpO2 (%) | 94.5 ± 3.4 | 96.1 ± 2.7 | <0.001 |
| Blood laboratory parameters | |||
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 12.9 ± 1.7 | 12.6 ± 1.7 | 0.032 |
| Red Cells (106/mL) | 4.6 ± 0.6 | 4.5 ± 0.7 | 0.104 |
| Hematocrit (%) | 39.9 ± 7.2 | 38.6 ± 4.9 | 0.080 |
| Leukocytes (103/mL) | 8.2 ± 3.4 | 7.5 ± 2.9 | 0.059 |
| Platelets (103/mL) | 215.7 ± 85.3 | 199.2 ± 60.3 | 0.066 |
| Glucose (mg/dL) | 95.1 ± 30.0 | 82.2 ± 15.6 | 0.001 |
| Creatinine (mg/dL) | 0.83 ± 0.18 | 0.85 ± 0.20 | 0.168 |
| Total Cholesterol (mg/dL) | 185.6 ± 41.9 | 176.3 ± 41.3 | 0.053 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dL) | 160.2 ± 75.4 | 148.3 ± 54.9 | 0.146 |
| BUN (mg/dL) | 39.4 ± 13.4 | 33.7 ± 9.7 | 0.033 |
| Uric Acid (mg/dL) | 5.1 ± 1.7 | 5.6 ± 1.5 | 0.009 |
| AST (UI/L) | 21.3 ± 11.4 | 17.2 ± 8.1 | 0.001 |
| ALT (UI/L) | 51.7 ± 49.1 | 33.6 ± 26.9 | <0.001 |
| CRP (mg/L) | 9.9 ± 18.1 | 9.6 ± 27.2 | 0.717 |
| D-Dimer (ng/mL) | 703.8 ± 651.8 | 734.1 ± 1694.1 | 0.788 |
| Blood pressure | |||
| SBP (mmHg) | 125.4 ± 12.7 | 124.1 ± 8.8 | 0.149 |
| DBP (mmHg) | 78.7 ± 8.6 | 75.2 ± 5.4 | 0.009 |
| Self-assessment scores | |||
| CAT | 26.8 ± 3.3 | 8.7 ± 4.3 | <0.001 |
| Barthel Index | 76.6 ± 23.5 | 96.5 ± 9.1 | <0.001 |
| Exercise capacity | |||
| 6MWD (meters) | 194.9 ± 115.0 | 343.5 ± 108.3 | <0.001 |
| Comorbidities | |||
| Hypertension (%) | 46.3 | - | - |
| Hypercholesterolemia (%) | 6.1 | - | - |
| Hypertriglyceridemia (%) | 3.7 | - | - |
| Diabetes Mellitus (%) | 17.1 | - | - |
| IFG (%) | 1.2 | - | - |
| Obesity (%) | 30.5 | - | - |
| Heart Failure (%) | 6.1 | - | - |
| Peripheral Artery Disease (%) | 1.2 | - | - |
| Atrial Fibrillation (%) | 3.7 | - | - |
| History of Myocardial Infarction (%) | 15.9 | - | - |
| History of Stroke (%) | 2.4 | - | - |
| History of Venous Thromboembolism (%) | 0 | - | - |
| History of Malignancy (%) | 6.1 | - | - |
| Chronic Kidney Disease (%) | 1.2 | - | - |
| COPD (%) | 7.3 | - | - |
BMI: body mass index; WHO: World Health Organization; O2: oxygen; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 s; FVC: forced vital capacity; DLCO: diffusion lung of carbon monoxide; AV: alveolar volume; PaO2: arterial oxygen tension; PaCO2: arterial carbon dioxide tension; pH: power of hydrogen; HCO3−: bicarbonate concentration; SpO2: peripheral oxygen saturation; BUN: blood urea nitrogen; AST: aspartate aminotransferase; ALT: alanine aminotransferase; CRP: C-reactive protein; SBP: systolic blood pressure; DBP: diastolic blood pressure; CAT: COPD Assessment Test; 6MWD: six-minute walk distance; IFG: impaired fasting glucose; COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation. Bold values denote statistical significance (p < 0.05).