Obese patients with long COVID-19 display abnormal hyperventilatory response and impaired gas exchange at peak exercise.

Aim: To analyze the impact of obesity on cardiopulmonary response to exercise in people with chronic post-COVID-19 syndrome. Patients & methods: Consecutive subjects with chronic post-COVID syndrome 6 months after nonsevere acute infection were included. All patients received a complete clinical evaluation, lung function tests and cardiopulmonary exercise testing. A total of 51 consecutive patients diagnosed with chronic post-COVID-19 were enrolled in this study.

Results

More than half of patients with chronic post-COVID-19 had a significant alteration in aerobic exercise capacity (VO2peak) 6 months after hospital discharge. Obese long-COVID-19 patients also displayed a marked reduction of oxygen pulse (O2pulse).

Conclusion

Obese patients were more prone to have pathological pulmonary limitation and pulmonary gas exchange impairment to exercise compared with nonobese COVID-19 patients.