Clinical Study

Posted on June 8th, 2022

The CISCO-21 study, funded by the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government, has been enrolling patients through standard clinical care, posters and social media channels. We are now also recruiting from GP practices and we would be grateful for your help.

Long COVID is a multi-system disease with several potential underlying mechanisms, one of which is thought to be related to muscle wasting. CISCO-21 will test whether a personalised exercise therapy programme, delivered remotely with professional personal support to people at home, can improve symptoms of Long COVID. The patient’s functional capacity will be assessed at baseline and then again at 3 months.

Participants entering the study within 6 months of a diagnosis of COVID-19 using a point of care or laboratory test will receive:

• A personalised programme of simple, resistance exercises e.g. leg-raising, lifting a household object, such as a bottle of water, with a guideline to facilitate tailored progression through different types of simple exercises
• A YouTube link for access to educational videos
• Support from the clinical research team including an exercise physiologist and nurses; fortnightly telephone contacts and options to contact the team at other times
• Optional exercise bands
• An optional accelerometer in the style of a wrist-watch to measure daily movement

CISCO-21 Poster