Objective: Biofeedback is a therapeutic treatment model that teaches self-regulation of autonomic functions to alleviate stress-related symptoms. "Long COVID" refers to chronic physical and cognitive sequelae post-SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study examined the efficacy of a six-week intervention, consisting of weekly one-hour sessions combining heart rate variability and temperature biofeedback, for alleviating mood symptoms, somatic symptoms and sleep disturbance of patients diagnosed with long COVID.
Methods: Data were collected from 20 adult participants aged 22-63 (M = 44.1, SD = 12.2) with varying long COVID symptoms. Within this single arm design, 16 of the 20 participants completed all six sessions of biofeedback; 14 completed an assessment at the three-month post-treatment time point.
Results: Participants self-reported significant improvements in somatic, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, sleep quality, quality of life, and number of "bad days" immediately after the intervention and three months later (Cohen's d effect size (ES) = 1.09-0.46). Reduced number of medical doctor visits (ES = 0.85) and prescription drug use over the last month (odds ratio = 0.33), as well as improved emotional wellbeing (ES = 0.97) were observed at the three-month time point only.
Conclusion: Results suggest that this short, readily scalable intervention can be potentially efficacious in alleviating symptoms of long COVID. Despite notable improvements, the major limitation of this study is its lack of control group. While a randomized trial merits study, biofeedback appears to be a brief, effective, non-invasive, and low-cost treatment option for patients with chronic somatic symptoms secondary to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Clinicaltrials: govID: NCT05120648.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2024.111625 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Developing evidence for a national strategy for older adults in the criminal justice system: overview of the nominal group approach for this series of brief reports.
J Forens Psychiatry Psychol
December 2024
Social Care and Society, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
The number of people aged 50 and over entering the criminal justice system (CJS) in England and Wales is growing. This raises questions as to the suitability of the CJS to equitably accommodate individuals with complex illness or impairment, who might experience difficulties in cognitive function, frailty, and/or impaired mobility. Findings from the government, the third sector, and academic literature have highlighted the difficulties experienced by older adults in the CJS and those tasked with supporting them.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurrent update on the neurological manifestations of long COVID: more questions than answers.
EXCLI J
November 2024
Second Department of Neurology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, "Attikon" University Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a global surge in patients presenting with prolonged or late-onset debilitating sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection, colloquially termed long COVID. This narrative review provides an updated synthesis of the latest evidence on the neurological manifestations of long COVID, discussing its clinical phenotypes, underlying pathophysiology, while also presenting the current state of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Approximately one-third of COVID-19 survivors experience prolonged neurological sequelae that persist for at least 12-months post-infection, adversely affecting patients' quality of life.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA Case of Rapid Transformation of a Nail Matrix Nevi to Melanoma After Messenger RNA COVID-19 Vaccine: A Cause or a Coincidence?
Cureus
December 2024
Department of Dermatology, Saint Joseph University, Hôtel-Dieu de France Hospital, Beirut, LBN.
Subungual melanoma is a variant of acral lentiginous melanoma that arises from the nail matrix. Subungual melanomas present unique clinical challenges due to diagnostic difficulties and the lack of a standardized protocol for surveillance, also, there are no evidence-based studies that determine the ideal frequency and duration of clinical and dermoscopy follow-ups in patients with longitudinal melanonychia. This is highlighted by a case of longitudinal melanonychia in a 53-year-old patient who underwent malignant transformation to subungual melanoma after a biphasic growth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHearing Loss in COVID-19 Patients: An Audiological Profile of Symptomatic and Asymptomatic COVID-19 Patients in Qatar.
Cureus
December 2024
Geriatrics and Long-Term Care, Rumailah Hospital - Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, QAT.
Background and objective Viral infections caused by cytomegalovirus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, varicella-zoster virus, herpes simplex type 1 and type 2, rubella, measles, rubeola, HIV, West Nile virus, Lassa virus, and mumps are known to be associated with hearing loss. There have been reports of inner ear involvement in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients but the extent and variations in cochlear involvement of symptomatic and asymptomatic patients has not been adequately described. This study aimed to evaluate the hearing status among symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients to address the prospects for routine screening for hearing loss in COVID-19 patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEthnic and racial differences in children and young people with respiratory and neurological post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2: an electronic health record-based cohort study from the RECOVER Initiative.
EClinicalMedicine
February 2025
Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, Rady Children's Hospital of San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
Background: Children from racial and ethnic minority groups are at greater risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, but it is unclear whether they have increased risk for post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC). Our objectives were to assess whether the risk of respiratory and neurologic PASC differs by race/ethnicity and social drivers of health.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of individuals <21 years seeking care at 24 health systems across the U.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!