CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Int J Sports Med 2022; 43(12): 1043-1051
DOI: 10.1055/a-1866-6092
Training & Testing

The Effects of Exercise Therapy Moderated by Sex in Rehabilitation of COVID-19

1   Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
,
Bernhard Puchner
2   Department of Rehabilitation Research, Rehab Center Muenster, Muenster, Austria
,
Jürgen Fuchshuber
3   Grüner Kreis Society, Center for Integrative Addiction Research (CIAR), Vienna, Austria
4   University Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
,
Barbara Seebacher
2   Department of Rehabilitation Research, Rehab Center Muenster, Muenster, Austria
,
Judith Löffler-Ragg
5   Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
,
Stephan Pramsohler
6   associated to University of Innsbruck, Hermann Buhl Institute for Hypoxia and Sleep Medicine Research, Lenggries, Germany
,
Nikolaus Netzer
6   associated to University of Innsbruck, Hermann Buhl Institute for Hypoxia and Sleep Medicine Research, Lenggries, Germany
7   Department Medicine, Division Sports Medicine, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany
8   Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine, EURAC Research, Bolzano, Italy
,
Martin Faulhaber
1   Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
› Author Affiliations
Funding The study is supported by the Early-Stage-Funding-Program of the University of Innsbruck financing travel expenses to and from the Clinic for Rehabilitation in Münster, Austria.

Abstract

Standardized exercise therapy programs in pulmonary rehabilitation have been shown to improve physical performance and lung function parameters in post-acute COVID-19 patients. However, it has not been investigated if these positive effects are equally beneficial for both sexes. The purpose of this study was to analyze outcomes of a pulmonary rehabilitation program with respect to sex differences, in order to identify sex-specific pulmonary rehabilitation requirements. Data of 233 post-acute COVID-19 patients (40.4% females) were analyzed before and after a three-week standardized pulmonary rehabilitation program. Lung function parameters were assessed using body-plethysmography and functional exercise capacity was measured by the Six-Minute Walk Test. At post-rehabilitation, females showed a significantly smaller improvement in maximal inspiration capacity and forced expiratory volume (F=5.86, ω2=.02; p<0.05) than males. Exercise capacity improvements between men and women did not differ statistically. Females made greater progress towards reference values of exercise capacity (T(231)=−3.04; p<0.01) and forced expiratory volume in the first second (T(231)=2.83; p<0.01) than males. Sex differences in the improvement of lung function parameters seem to exist and should be considered when personalizing standardized exercise therapies in pulmonary rehabilitation.



Publication History

Received: 10 March 2022

Accepted: 19 May 2022

Accepted Manuscript online:
01 June 2022

Article published online:
19 July 2022

© 2022. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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