Chronic Fatigue and Postexertional Malaise in People Living With Long COVID: An Observational Study

作者：Rosie Twomey, Jessica DeMars, Kelli Franklin, S. Nicole Culos‐Reed, Jason Weatherald, James G. Wrightson · 发表于：Physical Therapy · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.1093/ptj/pzac005 · 被引用次数：318 · 研究领域：Long-Term Effects of COVID-19、Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research、Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Research

OBJECTIVE: People living with long COVID describe a high symptom burden, and a more detailed assessment is needed to inform rehabilitation recommendations. The objectives were to use validated questionnaires to measure the severity of fatigue and compare this with normative data and thresholds for clinical relevance in other diseases; measure and describe the impact of postexertional malaise (PEM); and assess symptoms of dysfunctional breathing, self-reported physical activity, and health-related quality of life. METHODS: This was an observational study with a cross-sectional survey design (data collection from February 2021 to April 2021). Eligible participants were adults experiencing persistent symptoms due to COVID-19 that did not predate the confirmed or suspected infection. Questionnaires included the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue Scale and the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire-Post-Exertional Malaise. RESULTS: After data cleaning, 213 participants were included in the analysis. The total Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue Scale score was 18 (SD = 10) (where the score can range from 0 to 52, and a lower score indicates more severe fatigue), and 71.4% were experiencing chronic fatigue. Postexertional symptom exacerbation affected most participants, and 58.7% met the PEM scoring thresholds used in people living with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. CONCLUSION: Long COVID is characterized by chronic fatigue tha...