Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Post-COVID-19 Patients: New Insights Into the Exercise Intolerance

COVID-19 has affected thousands of people worldwide, and a considerable percentage of those complain of persistent exercise limitation, unrelated to the disease`s severity and persisting even months after the infection.^,It is well known that the severe form of COVID-19 predominantly involves the respiratory system, presenting with acute respiratory distress syndrome. One could speculate that the persistent functional limitation seen after infection may originate in the respiratory system, a fact reinforced by studies that showed ventilatory limitation in spirometry after hospital discharge.^,

Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test (CPET) allows a complete assessment of the cardiorespiratory system. It is the gold standard exam to define prognosis in several heart and lung diseases and can discriminate the underlying mechanisms associated with reduced functional capacity.^,

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