Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34440104›Full record

ReviewBiomedicines2021

Long-Term Impact of COVID-19: A Systematic Review of the Literature and Meta-Analysis.

Diana C Sanchez-Ramirez, Kaylene Normand, Yang Zhaoyun, Rodrigo Torres-Castro

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Biomedicines, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 131 papers, 20 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
131citing papers in PubMed, 20 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

131 citing papers in PubMed, 20 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Recovery of lung function during the first year after COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2025
    Pooled it
  4. Global prevalence of post-COVID-19 condition: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective evidence.Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice · 2025
    Pooled it
  5. Psychosocial Aspects of the Lived Experience of Long COVID: A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis of Qualitative Studies.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2024
    Pooled it
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  9. SARS-CoV-2 post-acute sequelae in previously hospitalised patients: systematic literature review and meta-analysis.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2023
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  13. Prevalence, risk factors and treatments for post-COVID-19 breathlessness: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2022
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  20. ESCMID rapid guidelines for assessment and management of long COVID.Clinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases · 2022
    Guideline

71 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Diana C Sanchez-RamirezDepartment of Respiratory Therapy, College of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0T6, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-1637-4309
Kaylene NormandDepartment of Respiratory Therapy, College of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0T6, Canada.
Yang ZhaoyunSchool of Nursing, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.ORCID 0000-0003-3037-8824
Rodrigo Torres-CastroDepartment of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago 8320000, Chile.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe long-term impact of COVID-19 is still unknown. This study aimed to explore post COVID-19 effects on patients chest computed tomography (CT), lung function, respiratory symptoms, fatigue, functional capacity, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and the ability to return to work beyond 3 months post infection.

methodsA systematic search was performed on PubMed, Web of Science, and Ovid MEDLINE on 22 May 2021, to identify studies that reported persistent effects of COVID-19 beyond 3 months follow-up. Data on the proportion of patients who had the outcome were collected and analyzed using a one-group meta-analysis.

resultsData were extracted from 24 articles that presented information on a total of 5323 adults, post-infection, between 3 to 6 months after symptom onset or hospital discharge. The pooled prevalence of CT abnormalities was 59% (95% CI 44-73, I

conclusionPost-COVID-19 patients may experience persistent respiratory symptoms, fatigue, decreased functional capacity and decreased quality of life up to 6 months after infection. Further studies are needed to establish the extent to which post-COVID-19 effects continue beyond 6 months, how they interact with each other, and to clarify their causes and their effective management.

Indexed as

COVID-19fatiguefollow-upfunctional capacitylong-term effectslung functionpersistent symptomsquality of liferespiratory symptoms

Identifiers

PMID34440104
PMCPMC8389585

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.