The Effect of Moderate Intensity Aerobic Exercise on Serum Levels of Interleukin-6, Interleukin-10 and C-reactive Protein in Patients Recovered from Covid-19

Sports activity is one of the non-invasive ways to rehabilitate and prevent complications and consequences of diseases related to Covid-19. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of moderate intensity aerobic exercise on the serum levels of interleukin-6, interleukin-10 and C-reactive protein in patients recovered from Covid-19.

For this purpose, 24 men recovered from Covid-19 were voluntarily selected and placed in two groups of experimental (12 people) and control (12 people) in a simple random manner. The experimental group participated in an eight-week aerobic training program, three sessions per week, each session lasted about 40 to 55 minutes with an intensity equal to 60 to 80% of the maximum heart rate. Serum levels of IL-6, IL-10 and CRP (before and 48 hours after the protocol) were measured. The data was analyzed using the covariance statistical test (ANCOVA) at the (p<0.05) level.

The results showed that aerobic exercise did not lead to a significant change in the serum levels of IL-6 (p>0.05) and IL-10 (p>0.05) in the experimental group compared to the control group; however, it caused a significant decrease in the serum levels of CRP (p<0.05) in the experimental group. In addition, examining intra-group changes in IL-10 and CRP indicated that there is a significant change between the mean score before and after implementation of the protocol in the experimental group (p<0.05). While there was no significant difference between the before and after values in IL-6 (p<0.05).

Based on the results of this study, aerobic exercises can regulate and balance anti-inflammatory and inflammatory cytokines and adjust the amount of C-reactive protein through the recovery of physical fitness in patients who have recovered from Covid-19.