Slow-Paced Breathing Intervention in Healthcare Workers Affected by Long COVID: Effects on Systemic and Dysfunctional Breathing Symptoms, Manual Dexterity and HRV
Author: Marcella Mauro1, Elisa Zulian1, Nicoletta Bestiaco1, Maurizio Polano2, Francesca Larese Filon1
Affiliation:
1 Unit of Occupational Medicine, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Trieste, 34129 Trieste, Italy.
2 Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, 33081 Aviano, Italy.
Conference/Journal: Biomedicines
Date published: 2024 Oct 3
Other:
Volume ID: 12 , Issue ID: 10 , Pages: 2254 , Special Notes: doi: 10.3390/biomedicines12102254. , Word Count: 269
Background:
Many COVID-19 survivors still experience long-term effects of an acute infection, most often characterised by neurological, cognitive and psychiatric sequelae. The treatment of this condition is challenging, and many hypotheses have been proposed. Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation using slow-paced breathing (SPB) could stimulate both central nervous system areas and parasympathetic autonomic pathways, leading to neuromodulation and a reduction in inflammation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate physical, cognitive, emotional symptoms, executive functions and autonomic cardiac modulation after one month of at-home slow breathing intervention.
Methods:
6655 healthcare workers (HCWs) were contacted via a company email in November 2022, of which N = 58 HCWs were enrolled as long COVID (cases) and N = 53 HCWs as controls. A baseline comparison of the two groups was performed. Subsequently each case was instructed on how to perform a resonant SPB using visual heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback. They were then given a mobile video tutorial breathing protocol and asked to perform it three times a day (morning, early afternoon and before sleep). N = 33 cases completed the FU. At T0 and T1, each subject underwent COVID-related, psychosomatic and dysfunctional breathing questionnaires coupled with heart rate variability and manual dexterity assessments.
Results:
After one month of home intervention, an overall improvement in long-COVID symptoms was observed: confusion/cognitive impairment, chest pain, asthenia, headache and dizziness decreased significantly, while only a small increase in manual dexterity was found, and no relevant changes in cardiac parasympathetic modulation were observed.
Keywords: Nijmgen questionnaire; Purdue Pegboard test; autonomic effects; breathing exercises; clinical trial; executive functions; heart rate variability; long COVID; medical unexplained symptoms; vagus nerve stimulation.
PMID: 39457567 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12102254
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