Deoxygenation Trends and Their Multivariate Association with Self-Reported Fatigue in Post-COVID Syndrome
<b>Background/Objectives:</b> A relevant subgroup of post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) patients suffers from post-exertional malaise (PEM) and cardiovascular or neurological symptoms, impairing daily functioning up to becoming even house- or bedbound. Recent data suggest that PCS summarizes d...
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2025-06-01
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| author | Anja-Maria Ladek Marianna Lucio Andreas Weiß Thomas Knauer Helena Sarmiento Miriam Ilgner Marie Jakobi Laura Barteczko Marion Ganslmayer Jürgen Rech Antonio Bergua Christian Y. Mardin Bettina Hohberger |
| author_facet | Anja-Maria Ladek Marianna Lucio Andreas Weiß Thomas Knauer Helena Sarmiento Miriam Ilgner Marie Jakobi Laura Barteczko Marion Ganslmayer Jürgen Rech Antonio Bergua Christian Y. Mardin Bettina Hohberger |
| author_sort | Anja-Maria Ladek |
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| description | <b>Background/Objectives:</b> A relevant subgroup of post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) patients suffers from post-exertional malaise (PEM) and cardiovascular or neurological symptoms, impairing daily functioning up to becoming even house- or bedbound. Recent data suggest that PCS summarizes different subgroups, one of them being characterized by an impaired microcirculation. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate local deoxygenation, measured with non-invasive near-infrared regional spectroscopy (NIRS), and its association with self-reported fatigue in patients with PCS compared to controls in light exercise. <b>Methods:</b> 150 participants (100 PCS patients and 50 controls) were recruited. PEM was assessed using FACIT, Chalder, and Bell scoring and Canadian Criteria. NIRS was used to measure local oxygenation while kneading a stress ball and during recovery. <b>Results:</b> PCS patients showed fatigue scores of 30 (Bell score), 20.6 (FACIT fatigue score), and 9.914 (Chalder fatigue score). Decreased deoxygenation peaks at the start of exercise were observed in patients with PCS, compared to controls (<i>p</i> = 0.0002). Multivariate analysis identified a subgroup, showing an association between strong fatigue and restricted oxygenation dynamics. <b>Conclusions:</b> NIRS could be a potential tool to assess deoxygenation deficits even in moderate to severely impaired PCS patients using light exercise protocols. |
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| language | English |
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| spelling | doaj-art-b3d91f07ca6b4777944b5ee78b4112c52025-06-25T13:31:39ZengMDPI AGBiomedicines2227-90592025-06-01136137110.3390/biomedicines13061371Deoxygenation Trends and Their Multivariate Association with Self-Reported Fatigue in Post-COVID SyndromeAnja-Maria Ladek0Marianna Lucio1Andreas Weiß2Thomas Knauer3Helena Sarmiento4Miriam Ilgner5Marie Jakobi6Laura Barteczko7Marion Ganslmayer8Jürgen Rech9Antonio Bergua10Christian Y. Mardin11Bettina Hohberger12Department of Ophthalmology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyResearch Unit Analytical BioGeoChemistry, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, GermanyRotkreuzklinik Lindenberg, 88161 Lindenberg, GermanyDepartment of Ophthalmology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyDepartment of Ophthalmology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyDepartment of Ophthalmology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyDepartment of Ophthalmology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyDepartment of Ophthalmology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyDepartment of Internal Medicine 1, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyDepartment of Internal Medicine 3—Rheumatology and Immunology, Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie and Center for Rare Diseases Erlangen, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyDepartment of Ophthalmology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyDepartment of Ophthalmology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyDepartment of Ophthalmology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany<b>Background/Objectives:</b> A relevant subgroup of post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) patients suffers from post-exertional malaise (PEM) and cardiovascular or neurological symptoms, impairing daily functioning up to becoming even house- or bedbound. Recent data suggest that PCS summarizes different subgroups, one of them being characterized by an impaired microcirculation. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate local deoxygenation, measured with non-invasive near-infrared regional spectroscopy (NIRS), and its association with self-reported fatigue in patients with PCS compared to controls in light exercise. <b>Methods:</b> 150 participants (100 PCS patients and 50 controls) were recruited. PEM was assessed using FACIT, Chalder, and Bell scoring and Canadian Criteria. NIRS was used to measure local oxygenation while kneading a stress ball and during recovery. <b>Results:</b> PCS patients showed fatigue scores of 30 (Bell score), 20.6 (FACIT fatigue score), and 9.914 (Chalder fatigue score). Decreased deoxygenation peaks at the start of exercise were observed in patients with PCS, compared to controls (<i>p</i> = 0.0002). Multivariate analysis identified a subgroup, showing an association between strong fatigue and restricted oxygenation dynamics. <b>Conclusions:</b> NIRS could be a potential tool to assess deoxygenation deficits even in moderate to severely impaired PCS patients using light exercise protocols.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/13/6/1371Post-COVID syndromeNIRSoxygenationfatiguePEMdeoxygenation |
| spellingShingle | Anja-Maria Ladek Marianna Lucio Andreas Weiß Thomas Knauer Helena Sarmiento Miriam Ilgner Marie Jakobi Laura Barteczko Marion Ganslmayer Jürgen Rech Antonio Bergua Christian Y. Mardin Bettina Hohberger Deoxygenation Trends and Their Multivariate Association with Self-Reported Fatigue in Post-COVID Syndrome Biomedicines Post-COVID syndrome NIRS oxygenation fatigue PEM deoxygenation |
| title | Deoxygenation Trends and Their Multivariate Association with Self-Reported Fatigue in Post-COVID Syndrome |
| title_full | Deoxygenation Trends and Their Multivariate Association with Self-Reported Fatigue in Post-COVID Syndrome |
| title_fullStr | Deoxygenation Trends and Their Multivariate Association with Self-Reported Fatigue in Post-COVID Syndrome |
| title_full_unstemmed | Deoxygenation Trends and Their Multivariate Association with Self-Reported Fatigue in Post-COVID Syndrome |
| title_short | Deoxygenation Trends and Their Multivariate Association with Self-Reported Fatigue in Post-COVID Syndrome |
| title_sort | deoxygenation trends and their multivariate association with self reported fatigue in post covid syndrome |
| topic | Post-COVID syndrome NIRS oxygenation fatigue PEM deoxygenation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/13/6/1371 |
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