Cardiorespiratory impact of COVID-19 in young adults: A propensity score-weighted cohort study

TL;DR

This study found that young adults who had COVID-19 showed some lasting cardiorespiratory effects, such as lower blood pressure during exercise and increased breathing effort.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into the long-term cardiorespiratory effects of COVID-19 in young adults using propensity score weighting.

Findings

The COVID-19 group had a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure at peak exercise.

There was an increased ventilatory response in the non-recently infected subgroup.

These effects may be due to deconditioning and muscle weakness.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns regarding persisting cardiorespiratory effects in young adults. This study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on cardiopulmonary function in this population.

This investigation, using data from the LoCoMo study, evaluated young recruits from the Swiss Armed Forces, aged 18–30 years. Participants were categorized based on their SARS-CoV-2 infection status and underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), spirometry, and diffusion capacity tests (DLCO). Propensity score weighting adjusted for confounding factors compared key outcomes between the control and COVID-19 groups.

We evaluated 242 participants in the control group and 240 in the COVID-19 group. The propensity score-weighted analysis showed no significant differences in most CPET and pulmonary outcomes. The COVID-19 group exhibited a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure (SBP) at peak exercise by 7.68 mmHg (p = 0.001), more pronounced in recent cases (<6 months, 14.60 mmHg, p = 0.002) and persisting after infection in non-recent cases (>6 months, 9.07 mmHg, p = <0.001). There was an increase in V'Epeak [% predicted MVV] by 2.92 % in the COVID-19 group, notably in the “non-recent” subgroup who had been infected more than 6 months previously (p = 0.003).

Young adults can exhibit persisting cardiopulmonary effects post-COVID-19, including reduced systolic blood pressure at peak exercise and increased ventilatory response, likely due to deconditioning and muscle weakness. These findings underscore the importance of maintaining physical activity during recovery to mitigate these effects.

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