(Fighting against New Coronary Pneumonia) Hong Kong Polytechnic University Research: More than 40% of New Coronary Patients Still Have "Fatigue Syndrome" After One Year of Recovery

　　China News Agency, Hong Kong, March 23 (Reporter Han Xingtong) The Hong Kong Polytechnic University held a press conference on the 23rd to announce a study that found that more than 40% of the new crown patients who participated in the study still had "fatigue syndrome" 12 months after diagnosis. .

To this end, PolyU has designed a set of "Eight Forms of Rehabilitation" training programs to help patients recovering from COVID-19 regain their health.

　　The new coronavirus has ravaged the world for more than two years. The World Health Organization pointed out last year that most patients with the new crown can recover, but some people will experience different symptoms such as difficulty breathing, fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction within a few months after recovery. The long-term effects are collectively referred to as the "long-term effects of COVID-19" ("long-term COVID-19").

　　A team from the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at PolyU has been conducting a follow-up study on COVID-19 patients since October 2020, tracking the recovery of COVID-19 patients referred from 5 local hospitals 6 months and 12 months after diagnosis.

The researchers assessed their cardiorespiratory fitness, physical fitness, fatigue, and quality of life through specific tests through face-to-face and video.

　　The team found that more than 40% of the 118 subjects who participated in the study were still suffering from the symptoms of "long COVID-19" 6 months and 12 months after the diagnosis, with fatigue and muscle weakness of the lower limbs, which affected their daily life.

Specifically, about 42% of the study subjects developed "fatigue syndrome" within 6 months of diagnosis, and about 43% of the study subjects still had "fatigue syndrome" 12 months after diagnosis.

Results of the study showed no significant changes in their fatigue scores between 6 and 12 months after diagnosis.

　　Fu Shao'e, Professor of Pain Management and Associate Head of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at PolyU, who led the research, said that most people who have recovered from COVID-19 think they have recovered and take their fatigue lightly, or think that fatigue will ease over time.

After conducting different tests, they found that their fatigue symptoms were related to insufficient cardiopulmonary function and weaker muscles in the lower extremities.

In fact, the situation can be improved as long as appropriate rehabilitation treatment programs are taken.

　　To help those who have recovered from COVID-19 regain their health, the PolyU team has developed a 6-week training program.

The training program includes the "Eight Forms of Rehabilitation" designed by the PolyU team, which consists of eight movements to exercise different muscle groups throughout the body and promote cardiorespiratory and muscle health.

Under the guidance of PolyU physiotherapists, the rehabilitated patients participated in two training classes (60 minutes each time) and three home exercises (30 minutes each time) per week to enhance lung capacity and improve muscle strength through different forms of exercise.

　　After completing 6 weeks of training, most of the 24 people who participated in the training had improved lung capacity and lower limb strength, and their fatigue had also improved: nearly 70% of them had improved lung capacity; more than 60% of them had improved lower extremity muscles ; Three-quarters of those who have recovered from "fatigue syndrome" have returned to normal.

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