Long COVID Cardiopulmonary Symptoms and Health Resort Treatment: A Retrospective Study.

Background/

Objectives

Long COVID covers many cardio-pulmonary symptoms, worsening individuals' health status. Health resort treatment applies balneological factors, physical medicine modalities, climate actions, and exercises that may be beneficial for COVID-19 survivors. This study aimed to assess the severity of the cardiopulmonary symptoms in people qualified for health resort treatment and its efficacy in this group of patients.

Methods

Medical records of 239 people attending health resort treatment were analysed. A total of 122 people (71 women and 51 men) with a mean age of 64.35 years ± 8.66 years were enrolled in the analysis. The cardiopulmonary symptoms of long COVID were assessed twice: before and after health resort treatment.

Results

Persisting COVID-19 symptoms do not differentiate between women and men. Health resort treatment reduces symptoms severity in both sexes. Age does not mediate the efficacy of health resort treatment.

Conclusions

The persistent symptoms of COVID-19 are of low intensity in people qualified for health resort treatment and are independent of gender. Health resort treatment effectively mitigates dyspnoea, tightness of chest, and sputum in long COVID patients, so it should be implemented into the standard treatment course for COVID-19 survivors as a continuation of therapy.