ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECT OF CORONAVIRUS INFECTION ON THE FUNCTIONAL STATE OF THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM OF STUDENTS WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Abstract

Aim. To analyze the effect of coronavirus infection on the functional state of the respiratory system in young people with different levels of physical activity and time from recovery. Materials and methods. The study involved 126 university students ages 17–22, of whom 101 had a history of coronavirus infection (experimental group) and 25 were healthy volunteers (control group). The following parameters were obtained: vital capacity, timed inspiratory capacity, and the Skibinski index. The experimental group was divided into subgroups, namely athletes and non-athletes, patients with a time from recovery of less than 6 months/6 months to 1 year/more than a year from the date of research. Microsoft Excel and STATISTICA 10 were used for the statistical processing of the data obtained. Results. In female university students from the experimental group, a 14.1% decrease in vital capacity was found compared to healthy female university students. Female non-athletes after coronavirus infection (16%) had a greater decrease in vital capacity compared with female athletes after disease (8.6%). A significant decrease in vital capacity was found in those female participants who had an infection between 6 months and 1 year ago (p<0.05 compared to controls). No significant decrease in the functional state of the respiratory system was found between male university students with and without a history of coronavirus infection. A significant difference in vital capacity was found between female university students with a time from recovery of less than 6 months and 6 months to 1 year. Conclusion. The study shows a decrease in the functional state in people with a history of coronavirus infection, especially in female university students with a time from recovery of more than 6 months. This decrease was lower for students who exercise regularly.