Evaluation of the relationship between the disease severity and the level of physical activity in patients followed up with COVID-19 diagnosis

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between physical activity level and disease severity, anxiety level, sleep quality, and fatigue in patients followed up with COVID-19 diagnosis.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 111 volunteer patients who were receiving treatment with COVID-19 diagnosis at the Chest Diseases Polyclinic, Sanko University, Sani Konukoğlu Practice and Research Hospital, Gaziantep, Turkey between May 2021 and July 2021 were included in the study and classified clinically and radiologically. They were evaluated on the basis of demographic characteristics, International Physical Activity Questionnaire, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Fatigue Severity Scale.

Results: Approximately 63% of the patients did not have a habit of exercise, while 52.3% of our patients were clinically mild cases, and 33.3% had normal lung tomography. While clinical disease severity was not associated with exercise habits, sleep quality was impaired in clinically severe patients.

Conclusion: The results of our study suggested that physical inactivity is common. Anxiety is a frequent symptom in COVID-19 cases and also COVID-19 negatively affects sleep quality.