Mohammad Abu Shaphe

Background and Objectives: Analyzing the cardiac autonomic function in COVID-19 patients can provide insights into the impact of the virus on the heart’s regulatory mechanisms and its recovery. The autonomic nervous system plays a crucial role in regulating the heart’s functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and cardiac output. This study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on heart rate variability (HRV) during a 6-min walk test (6MWT). Materials and Methods: The study included 74 participants, consisting of 37 individuals who had recovered from mild to moderate COVID-19 and 37 healthy controls. The study assessed heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure both before and after a 6-min walk test (6MWT). Results: The study found significant differences in a few time domains (SDNN and pNN50) and all frequency domain measures, whereas there were no significant differences in demographic characteristics or blood pressure between COVID-19-recovered individuals and healthy controls at rest. There were significant 6MWT effects on average HR, time-domain (SDNN and pNN50) measures of HRV, and all frequency domain measures of HRV. A significant group × 6MWT interaction was found for SDNN, pNN50, total power, Ln total power, LF, HF, Ln LF, Ln HF, and LF nu. Conclusions: Cardiac Autonomic analysis through HRV is essential to ensure the continued health and well-being of COVID-19 survivors and to minimize the potential long-term impacts of the disease on their cardiovascular system. This suggests that HRV analysis during the recovery phase following exercise could serve as a valuable tool for evaluating the physiological effects of COVID-19 and monitoring the recovery process.

Background Shift work is a system in which different groups of workers work at different times of the day and night. It may affect the physiological health of an individual and hence fatigue, musculoskeletal disorder and changes in physical activity may arise. Objective To compare the fatigue level, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and physical activity level in aircraft engineers working in morning shift and night shift. Method The study consisted of 100 aircraft engineers working at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Terminal 1. 50 aircraft engineers working in morning shift and 50 aircraft engineers working in night shift participated in the study. Self-administered questionnaire i. e., Chalder Fatigue Scale, Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and International Physical Activity Questionnaire were used to access the fatigue level, the number of MSDs, and physical activity level, respectively. Results The results showed significant difference in fatigue level, and the level of physical activity morning shift versus night shift workers (p<0.001). The mean value of fatigue level in morning shift was 4.9 and in night shift was 14.6. The average mean value of physical activity level in morning shift was 1972.61 MET min a week and in night shift was 1277.83 MET min a week. MSDs were more common in night shift workers as compared to morning shift workers. Conclusion The findings of the study suggested an increased in the level of fatigue and decrease in the physical activity level among aircraft engineers working night shift compared to those working morning shift. There are more MSDs in aircraft engineers working night shift as compared to those working morning shift.