NCT06073002

Effects of a Home-Based Exercise Intervention in Subjects with Long COVID

Active, enrolled NA Last updated 11 December 2024

What this trial tests

NA trial testing home-based concurrent exercise in Long COVID-19 in 20 participants. Participants enrolled and being followed up; not accepting new ones.

Timeline

4 September 2023

Primary endpoint
28 February 2025

28 February 2025

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	University of Vienna
Phase	NA
Status	Active, enrolled
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	na
Design	single group
Masking	none
Primary purpose	supportive care
Enrollment	20
Start date	4 September 2023
Primary completion	28 February 2025
Estimated completion	28 February 2025
Sites	1 location across Austria

Drugs / interventions tested

• home-based concurrent exercise

Conditions studied

• Long COVID-19 — all drugs for Long COVID-19 →
• Post-COVID-19 Syndrome — all drugs for Post-COVID-19 Syndrome →

Sponsor

University of Vienna

Who can join

Adults 18 to 80, any sex, with Long COVID-19 or Post-COVID-19 Syndrome. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

The current Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is the most severe health crisis of the 21st century. This is not only due to the deaths caused by the disease. People that were affected by COVID-19 and supposedly recovered may suffer from long lasting sequelae. The presence of symptoms longer than 3 months after the infection with the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is referred to as Post-COVID-19 Syndrome or Long COVID-19. It is estimated that 10-20 percent of all infected people are affected. The most common symptoms include persistent fatigue, reduced physical capacity, dyspnoea, ageusia, anosmia, musculoskeletal pain and neuropsychological complaints such as depression, anxiety, insomnia and a loss of concentration.

Considering the novelty of the pathology, evidence on the successful treatment of Post-COVID/Long-COVID is scarce. Physical activity has been established as a treatment option for chronic diseases that have similar symptomatic manifestations to those of Post-COVID/Long-COVID. For example, exercise therapy has shown positive effects on the health status of patients with lung disease, depression, anxiety, insomnia and cognitive impairment. However, there has been controversy whether so-called Graded Exercise Therapy (GET) is a safe treatment strategy for patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). This population may experience Post Exertional Malaise (PEM), a worsening of symptoms after physical, cognitive or emotional exertion. Since COVID-19 might be an infectious trigger for CFS, particular caution has to be taken when recruiting participants and when screening them for adverse events and worsening of symptoms during an exercise intervention.

It can be hypothesized that patients suffering from Post-COVID/Long-COVID can benefit from exercise in various ways, guaranteed that there is sufficient screening for PEM before and during the intervention and training volume and intensity are increased slowly and progressively.

The current study investigates the effects of a home-based concurrent training program on various parameters in people affected by Long COVID.

Publications & conference data

1 peer-reviewed publication reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. The Rationale, Evidence, and Adaptations to Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Chronic Respiratory Diseases Other Than COPD.
   Evans RA. · · 2024 · cited 3× · PMID 38806225 · DOI 10.4187/respcare.12089