Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35354589›Full record

ArticleBMJ open respiratory research2022

Dysfunctional breathing diagnosed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing in 'long COVID' patients with persistent dyspnoea.

Isabelle Frésard, Léon Genecand, Marco Altarelli, Grégoire Gex, Petrut Vremaroiu, Andreea Vremaroiu-Coman, David Lawi, Pierre-Olivier Bridevaux

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open respiratory research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 56 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
56citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
13.9field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

56 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 115 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Measurement properties of outcome measurement instruments for pediatric dysfunctional breathing: a systematic review.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2025
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  11. Living with breathing pattern disorder: a scoping review.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Isabelle Frésard *Service de pneumologie, Hôpital de Sion Centre Hospitalier du Valais Romand, Sion, Switzerland Isabelle.Fresard@hopitalvs.ch.
Léon Genecand *Service de pneumologie, Hôpital de Sion Centre Hospitalier du Valais Romand, Sion, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-6965-0480
Marco AltarelliService de pneumologie, Hôpital de Sion Centre Hospitalier du Valais Romand, Sion, Switzerland.
Grégoire GexService de pneumologie, Hôpital de Sion Centre Hospitalier du Valais Romand, Sion, Switzerland.
Petrut VremaroiuService de pneumologie, Hôpital de Sion Centre Hospitalier du Valais Romand, Sion, Switzerland.
Andreea Vremaroiu-ComanService de pneumologie, Hôpital de Sion Centre Hospitalier du Valais Romand, Sion, Switzerland.
David LawiService de pneumologie, Hôpital de Sion Centre Hospitalier du Valais Romand, Sion, Switzerland.
Pierre-Olivier BridevauxService de pneumologie, Hôpital de Sion Centre Hospitalier du Valais Romand, Sion, Switzerland.
Hôpital Riviera-Chablais · CHHôpital de Sion · CHUniversity of Geneva · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

background'Long COVID'-associated dyspnoea may persist for months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Among the causes of persistent dyspnoea, dysfunctional breathing (DB), defined as an erratic or inappropriate ventilation at rest or exercise, has been observed, but little is known about its occurrence and pathophysiology among individuals with 'long COVID'. We aimed to describe the occurrence and identify clinical predictors of DB among patients following SARS-CoV-2 infection.

methodsCardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) was performed in 51 SARS-CoV-2 patients (median age, 64 years (IQR, 15)); male, 66.7%) living with 'long COVID' and persistent dyspnoea. CPET was classified into three dominant patterns: respiratory limitation with gas exchange abnormalities (RL); normal CPET or O

resultsAmong 51 patients, DB mostly without hyperventilation was found in 29.4% (n=15), RL in 54.9% (n=28) and D in 15.7% (n=8). When compared with RL individuals, patients with DB were younger, had significantly less severe initial infection, a better transfer capacity for carbon monoxide (median 85% (IQR, 28)), higher oxygen consumption (22.9 mL/min/kg (IQR, 5.5)), a better ventilatory efficiency slope (31.6 (IQR, 12.8)), and a higher SpO

conclusionsOur findings suggest that DB without hyperventilation could be an important pathophysiological mechanism of disabling dyspnoea in younger outpatients following SARS-CoV-2 infection, which appears to be a feature of COVID-19 not described in other viral diseases.

Indexed as

COVID-19DyspneaExercise TestExercise ToleranceHumansMaleMiddle AgedPost-Acute COVID-19 SyndromeRespirationSARS-CoV-2COVID-19viral infection

Identifiers

PMID35354589
PMCPMC8968537
OpenAlexW4220655341

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.