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Review
. 2023 Feb 23;13(3):621.
doi: 10.3390/life13030621.

Assessment of Exercise Capacity in Post-COVID-19 Patients: How Is the Appropriate Test Chosen?

Rodrigo Torres-Castro  1   2 , Rodrigo Núñez-Cortés  2   3 , Santiago Larrateguy  4   5 , Xavier Alsina-Restoy  1 , Joan Albert Barberà  1   6 , Elena Gimeno-Santos  1   6   7 , Agustin Roberto García  1   6 , Oriol Sibila  1 , Isabel Blanco  1   6
Affiliations
Review

Assessment of Exercise Capacity in Post-COVID-19 Patients: How Is the Appropriate Test Chosen?

Rodrigo Torres-Castro et al. Life (Basel). .

Abstract

There is a wide range of sequelae affecting COVID-19 survivors, including impaired physical capacity. These sequelae can affect the quality of life and return to work of the active population. Therefore, one of the pillars of following-up is the evaluation of physical capacity, which can be assessed with field tests (such as the six-minute walk test, the one-minute standing test, the Chester step test, and the shuttle walking test) or laboratory tests (such as the cardiopulmonary exercise test). These tests can be performed in different contexts and have amply demonstrated their usefulness in the assessment of physical capacity both in post-COVID-19 patients and in other chronic respiratory, metabolic, cardiologic, or neurologic diseases. However, when traditional tests cannot be performed, physical function can be a good substitute, especially for assessing the effects of an intervention. For example, the Short Physical Performance Battery assessment and the Timed Up and Go assessment are widely accepted in older adults. Thus, the test should be chosen according to the characteristics of each subject.

Keywords: exercise capacity; post-COVID-19; tests.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of different laboratory and field tests.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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