Purpose: People living with long COVID describe a high symptom burden, and a more detailed assessment of chronic fatigue and post-exertional malaise (PEM) may inform the development of rehabilitation recommendations. The aims of this study were to use validated questionnaires to measure the severity of fatigue and compare this with normative data and thresholds for clinical relevance in other diseases; measure and describe the impact of PEM; and describe symptoms of dysfunctional breathing, self-reported physical activity/sitting time, and health-related quality of life. Methods: This was an observational study involving an online survey for adults living with long COVID (data collection from February-April, 2021) following a confirmed or suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection. Questionnaires included the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue Scale (FACIT-F) and DePaul Symptom Questionnaire-Post-Exertional Malaise. Results: After data cleaning, n=213 participants were included in the analysis. Participants primarily identified as women (85.5%), aged 40-59 (78.4%), who had been experiencing long COVID symptoms for ≥6 months (72.3%). The total FACIT-F score was 18±10 (where the score can range from 0-52, and a lower score indicates more severe fatigue), and 71.4% were experiencing chronic fatigue. Post-exertional symptom exacerbation affected most participants, and 58.7% met the scoring thresholds used in people living with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. PEM occurred alongside a reduced capacity to work, be physically active, and function both physically and socially. Conclusion: Long COVID is characterized by chronic fatigue that is clinically relevant and is at least as severe as fatigue in several other clinical conditions, including cancer. PEM appears to be a common and significant challenge for the majority of this patient group. Patients, researchers, and allied health professionals are seeking information on safe rehabilitation for people living with long COVID, particularly regarding exercise. Fatigue and post-exertional symptom exacerbation must be monitored and reported in studies involving interventions for people with long COVID.

中文翻译：

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长期感染 COVID 的人的慢性疲劳和劳累后不适

目的：长期感染 COVID 的人描述了高症状负担，对慢性疲劳和劳累后不适 (PEM) 的更详细评估可能会为康复建议的制定提供信息。本研究的目的是使用经过验证的问卷来衡量疲劳的严重程度，并将其与其他疾病的临床相关性的规范数据和阈值进行比较；衡量和描述 PEM 的影响；并描述呼吸功能障碍的症状、自我报告的身体活动/坐下时间以及与健康相关的生活质量。方法：这是一项观察性研究，涉及对确诊或疑似 SARS-CoV-2 感染后长期感染 COVID 的成年人进行在线调查（数据收集时间为 2021 年 2 月至 4 月）。问卷包括慢性疾病治疗疲劳量表的功能评估 (FACIT-F) 和 DePaul 症状问卷 - 劳累后不适。结果：数据清理后，n=213 名参与者被纳入分析。参与者主要被确定为女性 (85.5%)，年龄在 40-59 岁之间 (78.4%)，长期出现 COVID 症状≥6 个月 (72.3%)。总 FACIT-F 得分为 18±10（其中得分范围为 0-52，得分越低表示疲劳越严重），71.4% 的人正在经历慢性疲劳。劳力后症状加重影响了大多数参与者，58.7% 的参与者达到了肌痛性脑脊髓炎/慢性疲劳综合征患者使用的评分阈值。PEM 伴随着工作能力、身体活动能力以及身体和社交功能的降低而发生。结论：长期 COVID 的特征是慢性疲劳，这与临床相关，并且至少与其他几种临床状况（包括癌症）的疲劳一样严重。PEM 似乎是该患者群体中的大多数人面临的共同且重大的挑战。患者、研究人员和专职卫生专业人员正在寻求有关长期 COVID 患者的安全康复信息，尤其是有关锻炼的信息。在涉及对长期 COVID 患者进行干预的研究中，必须监测和报告疲劳和劳累后症状恶化。和专职卫生专业人员正在寻找有关长期 COVID 感染者的安全康复信息，特别是有关锻炼的信息。在涉及对长期 COVID 患者进行干预的研究中，必须监测和报告疲劳和劳累后症状恶化。和专职卫生专业人员正在寻找有关长期 COVID 感染者的安全康复信息，特别是有关锻炼的信息。在涉及对长期 COVID 患者进行干预的研究中，必须监测和报告疲劳和劳累后症状恶化。