Oscilometria respiratória e força muscular em pacientes com síndrome pós-COVID

Abstract

The long-term effects caused by SARS-Cov-2 can affect multiple organ systems, resulting in a cascade of persistent symptoms and reinforcing concern about clinically significant sequelae. To date, there has been no detailed investigation into muscle weakness and respiratory oscillometry in patients with Post-COVID Syndrome, this study being pioneering. The objectives of this work were to investigate the influence of persistent post-COVID syndrome on the resistive and reactive properties of the respiratory system, as well as to evaluate changes in muscle strength among groups with post-COVID syndrome. Persistent COVID without and with spirometric changes and control group. 80 individuals were analyzed: 32 individuals with Post-COVID Syndrome and normal spirometry, 16 individuals with post-COVID syndrome and altered spirometry, and 32 healthy individuals, characterizing the control group. Spirometry, plethysmography, respiratory oscillometry, manovacuometry and handgrip test were performed. There was a significant increase in resistive parameters, resonance frequency (p<0,0001) and impedance modulus (p<0,0001), and a significant reduction in ventilation homogeneity (p<0,0001) and dynamic compliance (p<0,01) when comparing the control group and groups with persistent post- COVID syndrome. Patients with normal spirometry showed a significant decrease in the handgrip test in the dominant hand (p<0.0001) and in the non-dominant hand (p<0.0001), they also showed a significant decrease in maximum inspiratory pressure values (p <0.01) and maximum expiratory pressure (p<0.0001). Patients with spirometric changes only showed a significant decrease in maximum expiratory pressure (p<0.0001). FOT consistently explain the pathophysiology of SPCov, demonstrating differences in relation to values observed in healthy people, even in the absence of changes in spirometry.