How fit are military hyperbaric personnel after an asymptomatic or mild symptomatic COVID-19 infection? A retrospective study

In the diving community there is a special need to know if asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 disease impacts the cardiopulmonary functioning of individuals with occupational exposure to extreme environments. To date, no controlled studies have been conducted comparing COVID-19-infected hyperbaric employ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Diving and hyperbaric medicine 2023-06, Vol.53 (2), p.120-128
Main Authors: Schaap, Jan-Peter, Zuluaga Fernandez, Margy E, Houtkooper, Antoinette, Endert, Edwin L, van Ooij, Pieter-Jan A M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Child, Preschool
COVID-19
Humans
Infant
Military Personnel
Original
Respiratory Function Tests
Retrospective Studies
Spirometry
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Summary:In the diving community there is a special need to know if asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 disease impacts the cardiopulmonary functioning of individuals with occupational exposure to extreme environments. To date, no controlled studies have been conducted comparing COVID-19-infected hyperbaric employees and non-COVID-19-infected peers in a military setting. Between June 2020 and June 2021, healthy, hyperbaric, military personnel aged between 18 and 54 years old, who had recovered from asymptomatic or subclinical COVID-19 disease at least one month earlier, were analysed. Non-COVID-infected peers with medical assessments during the same period were used as the control group. Somatometry, spirometry, VO₂ max, and DLCO were measured for each group. No clinically relevant differences in somatometry, lung function tests, and exercise testing were found between the COVID-19 group and the controls. However, the percentage of individuals with a decrease in estimated VO2-max of 10% or more was significantly greater in the COVID group than in the control group (24 vs. 7.8%, P = 0.004). After asymptomatic or mild symptomatic COVID-19 infections, military hyperbaric employees are as fit as those who had not encountered COVID-19. As this research was based on a military population, it cannot be extrapolated to a nonmilitary population. Further studies in nonmilitary populations are necessary to determine the medical relevance of the present findings.
ISSN:1833-3516
2209-1491
2209-1491
DOI:10.28920/dhm53.2.120-128