Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41259430›Full record

ArticleArquivos brasileiros de cardiologia2025

Cardiopulmonary Resilience in Highly Active Individuals: Pre-Post COVID-19 Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing Analysis.

Fabrício Braga, Gabriel Espinosa, Amanda Monteiro, Mauricio Milani, Juliana Paiva, Juliana Goulart Prata Oliveira Milani, Leandro Franzoni, Ricardo Stein, Gerson Cipriano, Jonas Lírio Gurgel and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Arquivos brasileiros de cardiologia, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

11 authors.

Fabrício BragaLaboratório de Performance Humana, Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Brasil.
Gabriel EspinosaLaboratório de Performance Humana, Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Brasil.
Amanda MonteiroLaboratório de Performance Humana, Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Brasil.
Mauricio MilaniPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Ciências e Tecnologias da Saúde, Universidade de Brasília (UnB), Brasília, DF - Brasil.ORCID 0000-0003-3688-2108
Juliana PaivaLaboratório de Performance Humana, Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Brasil.
Juliana Goulart Prata Oliveira MilaniPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Ciências e Tecnologias da Saúde, Universidade de Brasília (UnB), Brasília, DF - Brasil.
Leandro FranzoniUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS - Brasil.ORCID 0000-0002-6327-1428
Ricardo SteinUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS - Brasil.
Gerson CiprianoUniversidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF - Brasil.ORCID 0000-0001-6323-7003
Jonas Lírio GurgelLaboratório de Performance Humana, Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Brasil.
Ricardo Mourilhe-RochaUniversidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Brasil.ORCID 0000-0003-2501-302X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions globally, with persistent impacts extending beyond the acute phase. One such effect is post-COVID (long COVID), characterized by symptoms such as fatigue and exercise intolerance lasting more than 60 days. Although regular exercise is associated with reduced risk of severe outcomes, reports of decreased athletic performance after COVID-19 - even among highly active individuals (HAIs) - have raised concerns regarding the long-term effects on physical health. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is a valuable tool to assess exercise intolerance and to investigate the metabolic and ventilatory consequences of COVID-19.

objectivesTo evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on cardiopulmonary function in HAIs by analyzing metabolic and ventilatory responses using CPET before and after infection.

methodsCPET data were retrospectively analyzed from HAIs of both sexes. Primary outcomes included changes in peak oxygen uptake ( V ⋅ O2peak) and ventilatory efficiency ( V ⋅ E/ V ⋅ CO2 slope). Statistical significance was set at 5% (p < 0.05).

resultsA total of 43 HAIs (72.1% male; 44 ± 10 years) were included. The median interval between CPETs was 479 days, with testing performed a mean of 44 ± 27 days after COVID-19. V ⋅ O2peak decreased by a mean of 1.5 mL/kg/min (p = 0.017), representing a 3.84% reduction in predicted V ⋅ O2peak values (p = 0.045). V ⋅ E/ V ⋅ CO2 slope increased by 1.2 (p = 0.017).

conclusionAlthough HAIs are not immune to the effects of COVID-19, their high baseline physical activity levels appear to confer substantial cardiopulmonary resilience. Only minimal post-infection alterations were observed, which suggests that maintaining fitness may provide protective benefits against long-term sequelae of COVID-19.

Indexed as

COVID-19Exercise TestExercise ToleranceAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedOxygen ConsumptionRetrospective StudiesSARS-CoV-2Time Factors

Identifiers

PMID41259430
PMCPMC12671726

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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.