{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,29]],"date-time":"2026-07-29T02:16:11Z","timestamp":1785291371912,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,7]],"date-time":"2025-01-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1736208000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Biruni University Biratto Directorate Project","award":["BAP-2020-01-19"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["BAP-2020-01-19"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and Objectives: Long COVID-19 syndrome may cause difficulties in functionality during daily life in young people. Our objective was to investigate the respiratory and functional sequelae in young adults with asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 compared with healthy peers 3\u20136 months and 6\u201312 months after COVID-19 infection. Materials and Methods: Participants aged 18\u201325 who had COVID-19 within the last 3\u20136 months (Post-COVID Group 1, n = 25) and 6\u201312 months (Post-COVID Group 2, n = 25) and age\u2013gender-matched healthy controls (n = 25) were included in this study. Respiratory functions and muscle strength were measured. Physical function was assessed with 6 min walking test (6MWT) and an Incremental Shuttle Walk Test (ISWT). The 1 min sit-to-stand test (1-MSTST) and hand grip strength (HGS) were used to assess muscle performance. Fatigue and dyspnea severity were questioned. Results: The FVC%pred (p = 0.023) and MEP (p = 0.034) were higher, and 1-MSTST repetitions were lower in Post-COVID Group-1 compared to Post-COVID Group-2 (p = 0.029). The PEF%pred (p = 0.025), MEP (p = 0.001), and ISWT distance were lower in Post-COVID Group-2 compared to healthy controls. The number of 1-MSTST repetitions and 6MWT distance were lower in Post-COVID Group-1 (p = 0.003, p = 0.001) and Post-COVID Group-2 (p = 0.003, p = 0.017) than in healthy controls. Exercise-induced blood lactate change during the ISWT, HGS, fatigue, and dyspnea were not significantly different between post-COVID groups and healthy controls. Conclusions: Young adults who pass asymptomatic or mild SARS-CoV-2 infection exhibit a decline in FVC%pred, PEF%pred, lower extremity muscle performance, and physical function within 3\u20136 months. In addition, the deterioration in respiratory and physical functions becomes apparent within 6\u201312 months.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina61010086","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,7]],"date-time":"2025-01-07T06:49:13Z","timestamp":1736232553000},"page":"86","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Exploring Medium- and Long-Term Respiratory and Functional Sequelae in Young Adults Post-COVID-19"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"61","author":[{"given":"B\u00fc\u015fra","family":"\u00dclker Ek\u015fi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Graduate Education Institute, Biruni University, 34015 Istanbul, Turkey"},{"name":"Department of Therapy and Rehabilitation Physiotherapy Program, Vocational School, Istanbul Galata University, 34430 Istanbul, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4707-4528","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eyl\u00fcl P\u0131nar","family":"K\u0131sa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ergotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, \u0130stanbul Medipol University, 34810 Istanbul, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"\u00d6zge","family":"Ertan Harputlu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Institute of Graduate Studies, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, 34320 Istanbul, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Beg\u00fcm","family":"Kara Kaya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation (English), Faculty of Health Sciences, Biruni University, 34015 Istanbul, Turkey"},{"name":"Biruni University Research Center (B@MER), Biruni University, 34015 Istanbul, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zeynep","family":"Ho\u015fbay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biruni University Research Center (B@MER), Biruni University, 34015 Istanbul, Turkey"},{"name":"Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Biruni University, 34015 Istanbul, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Buket","family":"Ak\u0131nc\u0131","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation (English), Faculty of Health Sciences, Biruni University, 34015 Istanbul, Turkey"},{"name":"Biruni University Research Center (B@MER), Biruni University, 34015 Istanbul, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"110469","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mehy.2020.110469","article-title":"COVID-19 and chronic fatigue syndrome: Is the worst yet to come?","volume":"146","author":"Wostyn","year":"2021","journal-title":"Med. 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