Psychosomatic treatment options for functional post-covid syndrome: a randomized trial of open-label placebos and breathing exercises.

Psychosomatic treatment options for functional post-covid syndrome: a randomized trial of open-label placebos and breathing exercises. - PoCo-OPA

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

DRKS

Registry ID

DRKS00028488

Enrollment

Registered

2022-10-07

Start date

2022-10-12

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2025-04-07

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

PostCovid19 U09.9

Interventions

Group 1: Open-label placebo: patients take a placebo pill daily, 2x (1-0-1) and are informed about it Group 2: Breathing exercise: patients are to perform an app-assisted breathing exercise daily, 2x

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to 70 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Patients with functional post-covid syndrome (persisting symptoms > 3 months after covid-19 disease without a clear organic cause)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: organic causes of symptoms after covid-19 disease; implanted pacemaker; diagnosed hyperventilation syndrome; lactose intolerance; diagnosed allergy to any of the placebo pills' ingredients; pregnancy and lactation

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Fatigue (assesed via questionnaire: Fatigue Scale for Motor and Cognitive Functions; FSMC)	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Quality of life (SF-36), depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), somatic symptoms (PHQ-15), service receipt (CSSRI), IL-6, IL-1b, high-sensitive CRP, TNFalpha, D-Dimer, differentiated white blood cell count.	—

Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactKatja Weimer

Klinik für Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, Uniklinikum Ulm

katja.weimer@uniklinik-ulm.de+4973150061810

Outcome results

None listed

Source: DRKS (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026