Two studies published today reveal new findings on long COVID, with one showing a possible role for cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) for the evaluation of persistent symptoms, and the other finding a link between symptomatic infection and poor quality of life and reduced ability to complete daily activities.

Lower average peak oxygen consumption

In a systematic review and meta-analysis published in JAMA Network Open, a team led by University of California San Francisco (UCSF) scientists analyzed 38 CPET studies—mostly case series or cross-sectional studies of posthospitalization patients before widespread COVID-19 vaccination—in 2,160 patients 3 to 18 months after infection.

A total of 1,228 patients had long-COVID symptoms, and 714 had reduced exercise capacity. The studies were extracted on Dec 20, 2021, and May 24, 2022, and a preprint search was conducted on Jun 9, 2022.

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