Addressing Dysfunctional Breathing in Patients With Long COVID-Related Speech and Upper Airway Symptoms: Two Case Studies

The purpose of this article is to describe two speech-language pathology clinical case studies involving patients diagnosed with Long COVID in addition to dyspnea, speech, and upper airway symptoms. These case studies include case histories with overviews of the patient's complex clinical presentations, descriptions of a novel respiratory treatment, comprehensive evaluation results, treatment plans, and treatment outcomes. Conclusions: These case studies provide an example of the role that speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can play in the treatment of dyspnea and other symptoms caused or aggravated by dysfunctional breathing due to Long COVID. They provide support for expanding traditional SLP training to include knowledge of the entire unified airway system (upper and lower airways) so that SLPs may help these patients in a more holistic and efficacious way. These case studies show positive treatment outcomes after a comprehensive, assessment-based breathing retraining, which addresses the multiple dimensions of dysfunctional breathing.