Efeitos de um programa de telerreabilitação pulmonar na capacidade funcional de idosos pós COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction: On December 31, 2019, the World Health Organization was notified of an outbreak of pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, the etiological agent, a new coronavirus, was quickly identified. Coronaviruses are a group of viruses capable of causing respiratory infections, with mild to severe clinical repercussions, with COVID-19 being an infectious disease caused by the SARSCoV-2 coronavirus. The repercussions of COVID-19 can go beyond the impairment of the respiratory system, harming several systems. In addition, symptoms such as dyspnea and fatigue may persist after hospital discharge, resulting in impairment of functional capacity and limitation in activities of daily living. In this context, pulmonary rehabilitation appears as an alternative for the treatment of these individuals since it has a level of evidence. Among them, telerehabilitation for the elderly is a care strategy that is also growing, demonstrating positive results that are not inferior to conventional treatments. Objective: To evaluate the effects of a pulmonary telerehabilitation program on the functional capacity of post-COVID-19 elderly people. Methods: A quasiexperimental study was carried out. Men and women aged at least 60 years who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and had persistent manifestations of symptoms participated in the study. Physical examination and assessment of functional capacity were performed using the Timed Up and Go (TUG), 30- and 60-second sit-to-stand test, and Unsupported Upper Limb Exercise test (ULLEX), in randomized order. All procedures were performed in the online format. Results: Twenty-three elderly people were evaluated and completed the pulmonary telerehabilitation program. No patient showed worsening of symptoms during the data collection procedures. Participants significantly improved time on the modified UULEX and number of repetitions in both the 30-second and 60- second sit-to-stand tests. No statistically significant differences were observed in TUG test results before and after a telerehabilitation program. Conclusion: The pulmonary telerehabilitation program improved the functional capacity of postCOVID-19 elderly individuals. These results were evidenced by the improvement in upper limb resistance and improvement in lower limb muscle strength observed after the program was completed. The functional mobility of post-COVID-19 elderly people did not change after an eight-week pulmonary telerehabilitation program.