Reference: April 2026 | Issue 4 | Vol 12 | Page 4
A randomised controlled trial (RCT) presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in September suggests that exercise-based rehabilitation may help correct immune dysregulation in people recovering from severe Covid-19.
In this assessor-blinded trial, led by Loughborough University in the UK, 31 participants (13 male) with post-Covid syndrome following hospitalisation were assigned to either an eight-week supervised exercise and education programme (n=13) or to usual care (n=18).
The intervention included personalised aerobic and resistance training sessions delivered under clinical supervision.
Blood samples were collected at baseline and after eight weeks to assess central memory CD4+ T cells and naïve, central, and effector memory CD8+ T cells using flow cytometry, and results were analysed with linear mixed models.
At the end of the eight-week period, participants in the exercise group showed significant increases in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. No comparable changes were seen in the usual care group.
The findings suggest targeted exercise-based rehabilitation may facilitate the recovery of immune function in individuals with post-Covid syndrome. This approach could represent a promising approach to addressing the lingering immune effects of severe Covid-19 infection.
Reference
Bishop NC, et al. Effect of 8-week exercise-based rehabilitation on immune cell counts in post-Covid syndrome following hospitalisation: A randomised controlled trial. Abstract OA6534. European Respiratory Society Congress 27 September-1 October 2025. Amsterdam, Netherlands.
