Kardiorespiratorni fitnes pri prebolevnikih covida-19 : vpogled v projekt »PostCovSwim«

slovenian

2024

volume 72, issue 3/4

6-minute walk test   cardiorespiratory fitness   incidence   sport   swimming   vaccination

Univerza v Ljubljani, Fakulteta za šport

An infection with the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19) and its consequences, such as the long-term syndrome of COVID-19 (post-COVID- 19), can significantly adversely affect various aspects of an individual's life. Despite that, many individuals are concerned about vaccinating against COVID-19 for several reasons. The aim of the eight-week intervention study, known as the »PostCovSwim« project, was to compare the impact of vaccination status against COVID-19 (vaccinated: n = 48, mean age 55 years, vs. unvaccinated: n = 15, mean age 45 years) on the results of selected physical cardiorespiratory fitness tests in people after COVID-19. The study used a 6-minute brisk walk test and a 50- and 100-meter swim test. We used medically approved body composition analyzers to measure subjects' body composition and recorded their blood oxygen saturation, heart rate, and self-reported COVID-19 illness. After statistical adjustment for age, a comparison between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals who survived COVID-19 showed a significant difference in 6-minute walk test scores, with unvaccinated individuals performing better. The results of the swimming test were similar. It is important to interpret these results with caution due to the small sample size and higher number of COVID-19 infections among the unvaccinated group. Although there is a belief that vaccination against COVID-19 may be associated with a decline in cardiorespiratory fitness, the age difference between the groups raises the possibility that older vaccinated individuals may also have had more underlying health problems, a potentially more severe experience with COVID-19, and different levels of baseline physical fitness. These factors, as we know, have an adverse effect on the expression of cardiorespiratory fitness.

20.03.2025