Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), including breath control exercises, can improve lung function in long COVID patients after only 4 to 8 weeks, according to a study in Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease.
The study analyzed all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of the effectiveness of PR in long COVID-19 patients published before April 2024. In addition to general outcomes such as improvements in fatigue and self-reported quality of life, the studies also used 6-minute walking tests (6MWT), lung function measured by forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), and forced vital capacity (FVC) to assess lung health.
PR was initially developed to manage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but clinicians around the world have used it to help patients who experience persistent respiratory symptoms…