ArticlePloS one2020
Persistent fatigue following SARS-CoV-2 infection is common and independent of severity of initial infection.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05290350 (Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Patients With Long COVID-19 Fatigue), which is not on this map. Cited by 503 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Patients With Long COVID-19 Fatigue: a Multicentre Prospective Cohort Study
Who cites it
503 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 907 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence and duration of common symptoms in people with long COVID: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of global health · 2025Pooled it
- Post-COVID syndrome prevalence: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Role of the MicroRNAs in the Pathogenic Mechanism of Painful Symptoms in Long COVID: Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Pooled it
- Late neurological consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection: New challenges for the neurologist.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2023Pooled it
- Donepezil for Fatigue and Psychological Symptoms in Post-COVID-19 Condition: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2025Trial
- The effects of 3-month supplementation with synbiotic on patient-reported outcomes, exercise tolerance, and brain and muscle metabolism in adult patients with post-COVID-19 chronic fatigue syndrome (STOP-FATIGUE): a randomized Placebo-controlled clinical trial.European journal of nutrition · 2024Trial
- Characterizing health-related quality of life and identifying disease predictors among patients suspected of having long COVID: an analysis of COMET-ICE clinical trial data.Frontiers in public health · 2024Trial
- Physical exercise as a treatment for persisting symptoms post-COVID infection: review of ongoing studies and prospective randomized controlled training study.Clinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society · 2023Trial
- The Effect of Using a Rehabilitation Robot for Patients with Post-Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Fatigue Syndrome.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Trial
- Additive benefit of rehabilitation on physical status, symptoms and mental health after hospitalisation for severe COVID-19 pneumonia.BMJ open respiratory research · 2023Trial
- Effect of progressive muscle relaxation as an add-on to pulmonary telerehabilitation in discharged patients with COVID-19: A randomised controlled trial.Complementary therapies in clinical practice · 2023Trial
- Positive Impacts of a Four-Week Neuro-Meditation Program on Cognitive Function in Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Trial
- Somatosensory processing in long COVID fatigue and its relations with physiological and psychological factors.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- Fatigue after COVID-19 infection is associated with peripheral immunometabolic alterations affecting neuroimmune responses in the hippocampus.Translational psychiatry · 2026Article
- Transcutaneous Auricular Vagal Nerve Stimulation Against Fatigue Syndrome in Patients with Long COVID: Results of the Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Pilot Trial COVIVA.Neurology and therapy · 2026Article
- A systematic scoping review and conceptual analysis of new-onset fibromyalgia manifestations after non-hospitalized COVID-19: empirics, definitions, methodologies, pathophysiology, mapping of literature, and knowledge gaps.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Article
- Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) in Hospitalized and Ambulatory Patients: A Comparative Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Post-Exertional Malaise in Post-COVID-19 Syndrome: A Shift in the Frequency Across Pandemic Phases.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Pathophysiological mechanisms of fatigue and multidisciplinary management strategies (Review).Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2026Review
443 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
21 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Fatigue is a common symptom in those presenting with symptomatic COVID-19 infection. However, it is unknown if COVID-19 results in persistent fatigue in those recovered from acute infection. We examined the prevalence of fatigue in individuals recovered from the acute phase of COVID-19 illness using the Chalder Fatigue Score (CFQ-11). We further examined potential predictors of fatigue following COVID-19 infection, evaluating indicators of COVID-19 severity, markers of peripheral immune activation and circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines. Of 128 participants (49.5 ± 15 years; 54% female), more than half reported persistent fatigue (67/128; 52.3%) at median of 10 weeks after initial COVID-19 symptoms. There was no association between COVID-19 severity (need for inpatient admission, supplemental oxygen or critical care) and fatigue following COVID-19. Additionally, there was no association between routine laboratory markers of inflammation and cell turnover (leukocyte, neutrophil or lymphocyte counts, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, lactate dehydrogenase, C-reactive protein) or pro-inflammatory molecules (IL-6 or sCD25) and fatigue post COVID-19. Female gender and those with a pre-existing diagnosis of depression/anxiety were over-represented in those with fatigue. Our findings demonstrate a significant burden of post-viral fatigue in individuals with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection after the acute phase of COVID-19 illness. This study highlights the importance of assessing those recovering from COVID-19 for symptoms of severe fatigue, irrespective of severity of initial illness, and may identify a group worthy of further study and early intervention.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.