The role of respiratory muscle weakness in Long COVID patients, a crucial part of the jigsaw?

Many people living with Long COVID report symptoms of breathlessness. The pathology of breathlessness is complex and is often underpinned by several issues, which present as a debilitating symptom that widely affects quality of life and functional status. In the context of Long COVID, breathlessness affects around 1 in 4 patients and is managed by a series of strategies, such as relaxation and breathing exercises, and these approaches are effective in reducing symptoms following an exacerbation. However, improving the resilience of the respiratory musculature has long demonstrated benefits in athletic and clinical populations. This talk with outline the pathophysiology of breathlessness and highlight the utility and methods of inspiratory muscle training as a method to alleviate breathlessness. Speaker Bio: Dr Mark Faghy is a professor of Clinical Exercise Science at the University of Derby (UK) who researchers the pathophysiology of Long COVID. Prior to the pandemic, he worked as part of clinical research teams in chronic respiratory conditions to improve the knowledge of recovery and rehabilitation. Now in Long COVID he heads up an international, award-winning research team to improve the mechanistic knowledge of Long COVID with a view to inform the design and development of effective rehabilitation approaches that improve patient outcomes. A key underpinning philosophy of Professor Faghy’s research is to ensure that patients are at the heart of all activity, this includes the design development and delivery of research and rehabilitation programmes.