Assessment of Functional Outcomes, Level of Fatigue, and Risk of Sarcopenia in COVID 19 Patients at Discharge: A Cross Sectional Study

Introduction: The novel coronavirus disease has unleashed a worldwide shockwave throughout the health systems. There is emerging evidence with regards to reduced physical performance in patients recovering from COVID 19 after discharge from hospital.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study carried out after obtaining clearance from IERC. A convenient sample of 42 participants were recruited from a single tertiary care hospital who were getting discharged after COVID 19. Participants who were hemodynamically unstable, unable to perform the test, and did not volunteer to participate were excluded. Participants were assessed for physical performance, muscular strength, level of fatigue, functional capacity, risk of sarcopenia using Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), Jamar hand dynamometer, Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS), 1 minute sit to stand test (1 MSST), SARC - CalF respectively. Data was then coded, tabulated and analyzed using SPSS version 24.

Result: The study comprised of 42 participants Male - 30 (71.43 %), Female - 12 (28.57 %) having mean age 49.86 ± 15.83 years. Mean CT score was 11.45 ± 4.05. 31(73.81%) participants had comorbidities, 23(54.76%) participants were on oxygen support, 5 (11.90%) participants were admitted in ICU during initial stay at the hospital. Mean score of the assessed parameters were 7.57 ± 2.84 for SPPB with 34 participants (80.95%) scoring ≤10, 13.17 ± 5.79 for 1 MSST, 19.44 ± 8.38 kg for dominant hand grip strength, 19.79 ± 10.83 for FAS, 5.19 ± 4.83 for SARC-CalF score with 7(16.67%) participants having risk of developing sarcopenia.

Conclusion: It is pivotal to know the functional status of COVID 19 patients those who have recovered. This study fulfils it by providing a descriptive information about the outcomes of COVID 19 on patients at discharge which can further be utilized for development of an exercise program for post COVID patients.