A recent randomized controlled trial presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress reveals that exercise significantly improves immune regulation in post-COVID syndrome patients, potentially reducing symptoms like fatigue and joint pain while boosting resistance to future infections.

Experts, including Dr. Guido Vagheggini, highlight the importance of restoring immune function in post-COVID patients and praise the trial for its mechanistic insights and implications for rehabilitation strategies.

The study involved 31 post-hospitalization COVID-19 patients, with some participating in an eight-week supervised exercise program that included treadmill walking, cycling, and strength training, while others received standard care, allowing for comparison of immune responses.

Results showed that participants who completed the exercise program experienced significant increases in naive immune cells, such as central memory CD4+ T cells and memory CD8+ T cells, which are essential for recognizing and fighting infections.

Additional immune improvements included elevated levels of central and effector memory CD8+ T cells, indicating enhanced long-term immune memory and immediate immune responses.

The exercise group also showed increased populations of naive immune cells capable of recognizing new pathogens, along with higher levels of central memory CD4+ T cells, which are crucial for rapid immune responses upon re-exposure to SARS-CoV-2.

Researchers plan to expand future studies to include patients with milder COVID-19 who were not hospitalized, aiming to determine if similar immune and symptomatic benefits from exercise are achievable across broader populations.

Further research is also planned to investigate whether these immune and symptom improvements apply to post-COVID patients who experienced less severe initial infections.