Dispneia e força dos membros inferiores de sobreviventes da Covid-19 avaliados após alta hospitalar no Rio Grande do Norte: estudo observacional

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 is an infectious disease, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which has spread rapidly around the world, causing the contamination of millions of people. The main clinical findings at the beginning of the disease outbreak were fever, difficulty breathing and chest X-rays showing infiltrates in both lungs. Survivors may persist with residual symptoms after the acute infection, including fatigue, respiratory and neurological symptoms, negatively impacting physical function, ability to perform Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and quality of life. Objective: To assess dyspnea and lower limb strength (LL) in COVID-19 survivors after hospitalization in Rio Grande do Norte. Methodology: Observational, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach. The participants were evaluated on an online platform and the Medical Research Council (MRC) Scale was applied to investigate the presence of dyspnea and the five-repetition sit-to-stand test was performed to indirectly assess lower limb strength. The sample was divided into three groups, according to the time elapsed between discharge and evaluation. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 20.0 for Windows. Results: 96 individuals were evaluated. 46.88% were interviewed within 1 month after leaving the hospital and of these, 75.56% reported MRC equal to or greater than 2; 15.56% were unable to perform the sit and stand test and 33.33% performed the same test in 16.7s or more. In the group assessed with more than one to six months, 75% reported MRC equal to or greater than 2 and 41.67% performed the sit-to-stand test in 16.7s or more. Of the group assessed more than six months after discharge, 48.14% reported a degree of dyspnea equal to or greater than 2 by the MRC; 33.33% finished the sit and stand test between 11.2 and 13.69 seconds and another 33.33% completed it in up to 11.19 seconds. Conclusion: Patients evaluated more than 6 months after hospital discharge due to COVID-19 had a lower degree of dyspnea, consequently, it was easier to perform ADLs and better performance in the sit-to-stand test, thus indirectly indicating an improvement in the strength of the muscles MMII.