Understanding cardiometabolic risk profile: the effect of aerobic exercise training, symptoms, and COVID-19

Presence of long-term conditions have been linked to morbidity and premature mortality. Preventing and reducing modifiable risk factors of long-term conditions improve symptoms and quality of life as well as reduce the risk of complications and premature mortality in populations with long-term conditions. This thesis aims to identify populations with increased cardiometabolic risk and understand whether breathlessness could influence this risk, as well as identify a possible intervention for reducing cardiovascular risk. Cardiometabolic profiles of adult survivors of severe COVID-19 were compared with COVID naïve healthy controls to understand whether COVID-19 may be linked to an increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases. Cardiometabolic risk indicators were also compared between adults with exertional breathlessness and healthy controls as well as post-COVID participants with and without breathlessness. A systematic review was also conducted to explore the effect of aerobic exercise training on pulse wave velocity in adults with and without long-term conditions.

Adult survivors of severe COVID-19 had an increased cardiometabolic risk compared to the healthy group, however breathlessness was not associated with an increased risk in this cohort. There was no difference in cardiometabolic risk indicators between adults with and without exertional breathlessness, although this study had a small sample size due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The systematic review showed that aerobic exercise training significantly reduces pulse wave velocity in health and disease and that age was the inversely associated with this reduction.