Table 1.
Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of patients at baseline.
| Variable | QARP group (n=64) | Standard therapies group (n=64) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 50.0 (47.2, 52.8) | 53.6 (50.2, 57.0) | 0.104 |
| Sex | 0.372 | ||
| Men | 25 (39.1%) | 30 (46.9%) | - |
| Women | 39 (60.9%) | 34 (53.2%) | - |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 23.8 (23.1, 24.6) | 23.9 (23.1, 24.7) | 0.945 |
| Any comorbidity | 0.244 | ||
| Hypertension | 10 (16%) | 10 (16%) | - |
| Diabetes | 8 (13%) | 5 (8%) | - |
| Chronic Hepatitis B | 2 (3%) | 1 (2%) | - |
| Chronic gastritis | 2 (3%) | 2 (3%) | - |
| Coronary heart disease | 6 (9%) | 1 (2%) | - |
| Chronic bronchitis | 1 (2%) | 0 | - |
| Rheumatic heart disease | 0 | 1 (2%) | - |
| Symptoms and signs | 0.986 | ||
| Cough | 62 (97%) | 61 (95%) | - |
| Fever | 53 (83%) | 52 (81%) | - |
| Dyspnea | 48 (75%) | 50 (78%) | - |
| Diarrhea | 7 (11%) | 9 (14%) | - |
| Fatigue | 44 (69%) | 47 (73%) | - |
| Temperature,°C | 37.5 (37.3, 37.8) | 37.4 (37.2, 37.6) | 0.326 |
| Heart rate (bpm) | 85.5 (82.7, 88.4) | 85.4 (82.3, 88.5) | 0.941 |
| Respiration rate (times/min) | 23.1 (20.6, 25.6) | 22.6 (21.6, 23.6) | 0.728 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 124.2 (121.9, 126.6) | 123.3 (119.9, 126.6) | 0.648 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 73.0 (70.7, 75.3) | 72.5 (70.2, 74.9) | 0.799 |
| Blood oxygen saturation (SaO2%) | 92.7 (92.1, 93.2) | 92.8 (92.1, 93.5) | 0.778 |
| MBS | 5.5 (4.9, 6.1) | 5.3 (4.8, 5.8) | 0.663 |
| FS-14 | 7.6 (6.8, 8.4) | 7.2 (6.6, 7.9) | 0.505 |
| PHQ-9 | 13.3 (12.0, 14.7) | 13.7 (12.3, 15.0) | 0.717 |
| mMRC | 2.9 (2.7, 3.1) | 2.7 (2.5, 2.8) | 0.137 |
The data are presented as the mean (standard deviation [SD]) or median (interquartile range [IQR]) unless otherwise stated. QARP group intervention: qigong exercise and acupressure therapy + standard therapy for COVID-19; Standard therapies group intervention: standard therapy only.
BMI, body mass index; MBS, modified Borg dyspnea scale; FS-14, Fatigue Scale-14; PHQ-9, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scale; mMRC, Medical Research Council; QARP, Qigong exercise and acupressure telerehabilitation program; SaO2, oxygen saturation; COVID-19, coronavirus disease of 2019.