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Review
. 2023 Sep 12;11(18):2519.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare11182519.

Efficacy and Safety of Respiratory Telerehabilitation in Patients with Long COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Andrés Calvache-Mateo  1 , Alejandro Heredia-Ciuró  1 , Javier Martín-Núñez  1 , Sofía Hernández-Hernández  1 , Gregory Reychler  2   3   4 , Laura López-López  1 , Marie Carmen Valenza  1
Affiliations
Review

Efficacy and Safety of Respiratory Telerehabilitation in Patients with Long COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Andrés Calvache-Mateo et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

The aim of this review was to identify, map, and synthesize the extent and nature of research activity on the use of telerehabilitation to support Long COVID-19 rehabilitation and examine the efficacy and safety of respiratory telerehabilitation in patients with Long COVID-19. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials were performed. We included controlled trials that tested the effect of respiratory telerehabilitation interventions in patients with Long COVID-19 versus no intervention, usual care, placebo, or face-to-face intervention. The data were pooled, and a meta-analysis was completed for quality of life, dyspnea, lung function, anxiety and depression, respiratory muscle strength, functional capacity, and lower limb strength. Finally, 10 studies were included. The meta-analysis results show significant differences in favor of respiratory telerehabilitation in quality of life (p = 0.02), dyspnea (p < 0.00001), respiratory muscle strength (p < 0.001), functional capacity (p < 0.0001), and lower limb strength (p = 0.01) but not in lung function (p = 0.28) and anxiety and depression (p = 0.55). In addition, there were no statistically significant differences in adverse effects (p = 0.06) between the telerehabilitation and comparator groups. The results suggest that these interventions can improve quality of life, reduce dyspnea, and increase respiratory and lower extremity muscle strength as well as functional capacity in patients with Long COVID-19.

Keywords: Long COVID-19; adverse effects; dyspnea; functional capacity; quality of life; telerehabilitation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no competing interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of the included articles.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Risk of bias [37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Results of the quality of life [37,38,39,40,41,44,46].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Results of dyspnea [37,39,40,41,45].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Results of FVC [37,38,40].
Figure 6
Figure 6
Results of anxiety and depression [38,41,46].
Figure 7
Figure 7
Results of MIP [38,39].
Figure 8
Figure 8
Results of functional capacity [37,38,39,40,45].
Figure 9
Figure 9
Results of lower limb strength [37,38,45,46].
Figure 10
Figure 10
Results of adverse events [37,38,40,41,42,44,45].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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