Cardiorespiratory Exercise & Chinese Medicine for Rehabilitation of Discharged Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Patients

Rehabilitation interventions can help to address the consequences of COVID-19, which include medical, physical, cognitive, and psychological related problems. The specific aims of this project are to investigate the effects of a 12-week exercise program on pulmonary fibrosis in recovering COVID-19 patients. A further aim will be to examine how Chinese herbal medicines, gut microbiome, and metabolites regulate immune function and possibly autoimmune deficiency in the rehabilitation process.

The study will develop a new paradigm for patient rehabilitation needed now and in the future. The specific aims of this project are to investigate the effects of a 12-week program with cardiorespiratory exercise and Chinese herbal medicine on recovering COVID-19 patients and to collect qualitative and quantitative data to examine loneliness, anxiety, depression, quality of life, and mental health. A further aim will be to examine how Chinese herbal medicines, gut microbiome, and the metabolites regulate immune function, intestinal permeability, and possibly autoimmune deficiency (AID) in the pathological recovery/rehabilitation process. In this multicenter, triple-blinded, randomized, parallel groups, controlled clinical trial, the investigator will recruit adult patients with COVID-19 and have been discharged from the hospital in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. A total of 172 eligible patients will be randomized 1:1:1:1 into four groups: cardiorespiratory exercise plus Chinese herbal medicines group, cardiorespiratory exercise group, Chinese herbal medicines group, and waiting list group for 12-week (3 months) with 12-week follow-up period. A 4-week pilot study will be conducted to test patient recruitment and maintenance, data collection, instrumentation, and observing the adaptability and practicality of the intervention. Amendments will be made if necessary.