A Scientometric Analysis of the Literature on Physical Capacity in Long COVID

Abstract

Background: Long COVID is characterized by the persistence of debilitating symptoms such as fatigue, dyspnea, and muscle pain following the acute phase of infection, impacting quality of life and functional capacity. Aim: To analyze the scientific output on physical capacity in patients with Long COVID, identifying patterns and trends. Methodology: This exploratory descriptive study employed a scientometric analysis of scientific production. Data comprised research articles on Long COVID and physical and functional characteristics, retrieved from journals indexed in the Pubmed database, with no language or year restrictions. Results: A total of 118 articles were identified. After manual screening, 54 were excluded for not addressing Long COVID, 2 for not addressing physical capacity, 2 for not being human studies, and 5 for being study protocols, resulting in a final sample of 52 articles. This sample included 4 clinical trials, 25 randomized clinical trials, and 23 observational studies. Of these, 38 were open access, and 14 were subscription-based. The topic first appeared in Pubmed in 2021, with the highest number of publications (n=17) to date in 2024, showing a growth rate of 78.28% from 2021 to 2024. Germany, Italy, and Brazil were the countries with the highest research output. However, concerning international collaborations, Brazilian authors showed the highest contribution, followed by US researchers. Conclusion: A limited body of literature was observed. The most frequently addressed themes were disease-related aspects, functional characteristics, and potential impairments such as reduced quality of life, fatigue, and dyspnea.