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Intrahospital supervised exercise training improves survival rate among hypertensive patients with COVID-19

Francisco Fernandez1,2, Manuel Vazquez-Muñoz3,4, Andrea Canals5

  • 1Exercise Applied Physiology Laboratory, Centro de Investigación en Fisiología y Medicina de Altura, Departamento Biomedico, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile.

Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)
|February 2, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Supervised exercise training (EX) significantly improved survival rates in hospitalized patients with hypertension (HTN) and COVID-19. This intrahospital program offers a feasible approach to enhance outcomes for this vulnerable patient group.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Pulmonology
  • Sports Medicine
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Hypertension (HTN) is a major risk factor for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
  • Standard pharmacological treatments for HTN do not effectively mitigate COVID-19 progression or severity.
  • Exercise training (EX) is proposed as a potential post-COVID treatment, with possible benefits during hospitalization.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the impact of supervised exercise training (EX) on hospitalized patients diagnosed with both hypertension (HTN) and COVID-19.
  • To determine if EX during hospitalization improves survival rates in this specific patient cohort.

Main Methods:

  • A total of 439 hospitalized COVID-19 patients with HTN were divided into an EX group (n=201) and a control group (n=238).
  • The EX group underwent supervised aerobic, breathing, and musculoskeletal exercises 3-4 times per week throughout their hospitalization.
  • Aerobic exercises included walking (15-45 min), breathing exercises focused on diaphragmatic and pursed-lip techniques (10-15 min), and resistance training (8-10 sets/wk).

Main Results:

  • The supervised EX intervention demonstrated a significant improvement in survival rates among hypertensive COVID-19 patients compared to the control group (P=0.027).
  • Multivariate logistic regression identified EX as a significant prognostic marker for survival (OR=0.449, P=0.018), alongside sex and ventilation status.
  • The intrahospital EX program was associated with a reduced mortality rate in hypertensive patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

Conclusions:

  • Supervised intrahospital exercise training is an effective strategy for improving survival rates in hypertensive patients with COVID-19.
  • EX represents a feasible and therapeutically beneficial approach to enhance clinical outcomes for COVID-19 patients suffering from hypertension during hospitalization.
  • These findings support the integration of exercise interventions into the care of hospitalized hypertensive COVID-19 patients.

Keywords:
COVID-19exercise traininghypertensionintrahospital

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