Physical Activity and Mental Health of Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Carolin Leoni Dobler; Britta Krüger; Jana Strahler; Christopher Weyh; Kristina Gebhardt; Khodr Tello; Hossein Ardeschir Ghofrani; Natascha Sommer; Henning Gall; Manuel Jonas Richter; Karsten Krüger

doi:10.3390/jcm9124023

Physical Activity and Mental Health of Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension during the COVID-19 Pandemic

J Clin Med. 2020 Dec 12;9(12):4023. doi: 10.3390/jcm9124023.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Exercise Physiology and Sports Therapy, Institute of Sports Science, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35394 Giessen, Germany.
² Nemolab, Institute of Sports Science, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35394 Giessen, Germany.
³ Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, University of Giessen, 35394 Giessen, Germany.
⁴ Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35394 Giessen, Germany.
⁵ Department of Internal Medicine, Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center (UGMLC), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Excellence Cluster Cardio-Pulmonary Institute (CPI), Justus-Liebig University, 35394 Giessen, Germany.

Abstract

The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of personal restrictions on physical activity, mental health, stress experience, resilience, and sleep quality in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) during the "lockdown" period of the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, 112 PH patients and 52 age-matched healthy control subjects completed a questionnaire on the topics of physical activity, mental health, resilience, and sleep quality. PH patients had significantly lower physical activity, mental health, and sleep quality compared to age-matched healthy controls. Physical activity positively correlated with mental health and sleep quality in the PH group. Mental wellbeing and life satisfaction could be predicted by total physical activity, sleep, stress level, and resilience. PH patients appeared as an especially vulnerable group, demanding interventions to promote an active lifestyle and protect mental health in these patients. This could be helpful in counseling on how to carry out physical activity while maintaining infection control.

Keywords: active lifestyle; infection control measure; resilience; self-quarantine; stress levels.