Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36474804›Full record

ArticleEClinicalMedicine2023

The prevalence and long-term health effects of Long Covid among hospitalised and non-hospitalised populations: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Lauren L O'Mahoney, Ash Routen, Clare Gillies, Winifred Ekezie, Anneka Welford, Alexa Zhang, Urvi Karamchandani, Nikita Simms-Williams, Shabana Cassambai, Ashkon Ardavani and 17 more

Erratum issuedAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in EClinicalMedicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 497 papers, 15 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
497citing papers in PubMed, 15 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

497 citing papers in PubMed, 15 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  8. Patient and Professional Perspectives on Long COVID: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Synthesis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025
    Pooled it
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  11. Prevalence and symptoms of Long Covid-19 in the workplace.Occupational medicine (Oxford, England) · 2025
    Pooled it
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  13. 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
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  15. Definitions and symptoms of the post-COVID syndrome: an updated systematic umbrella review.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2025
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437 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

27 authors.

Lauren L O'MahoneyDiabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Ash RoutenDiabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Clare GilliesDiabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Winifred EkezieDiabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Anneka WelfordDiabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Alexa ZhangGreat Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK.
Urvi KaramchandaniFaculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Nikita Simms-WilliamsInstitute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Shabana CassambaiDiabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Ashkon ArdavaniDiabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Thomas J WilkinsonDiabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Grace HawthorneDiabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Ffion CurtisDiabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Andrew P KingsnorthDiabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Abdullah AlmaqhawiDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
Thomas WardDepartment of Respiratory Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Daniel AyoubkhaniLeicester Real World Evidence Unit, Diabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Amitava BanerjeeFaculty of Population Health Sciences, Institute of Health Informatics, University College London, London, UK.
Melanie CalvertInstitute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Roz ShafranGreat Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK.
Terence StephensonGreat Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK.
Jonathan SternePopulation Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Helen WardFaculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Rachael A EvansDepartment of Respiratory Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Francesco ZaccardiDiabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Shaney WrightPatient Partner, UK.
Kamlesh KhuntiDiabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.

Funding

Medical Research Council MC_PC_20049Medical Research Council MC_PC_20051Medical Research Council MC_PC_20059
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to systematically synthesise the global evidence on the prevalence of persistent symptoms in a general post COVID-19 population. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted using multiple electronic databases (MEDLINE and The Cochrane Library, Scopus, CINAHL, and medRxiv) until January 2022. Studies with at least 100 people with confirmed or self-reported COVID-19 symptoms at ≥28 days following infection onset were included. Patient-reported outcome measures and clinical investigations were both assessed. Results were analysed descriptively, and meta-analyses were conducted to derive prevalence estimates. This study was pre-registered (PROSPERO-ID: CRD42021238247). Findings: 194 studies totalling 735,006 participants were included, with five studies conducted in those <18 years of age. Most studies were conducted in Europe (n = 106) or Asia (n = 49), and the time to follow-up ranged from ≥28 days to 387 days. 122 studies reported data on hospitalised patients, 18 on non-hospitalised, and 54 on hospitalised and non-hospitalised combined (mixed). On average, at least 45% of COVID-19 survivors, regardless of hospitalisation status, went on to experience at least one unresolved symptom (mean follow-up 126 days). Fatigue was frequently reported across hospitalised (28.4%; 95% CI 24.7%-32.5%), non-hospitalised (34.8%; 95% CI 17.6%-57.2%), and mixed (25.2%; 95% CI 17.7%-34.6%) cohorts. Amongst the hospitalised cohort, abnormal CT patterns/x-rays were frequently reported (45.3%; 95% CI 35.3%-55.7%), alongside ground glass opacification (41.1%; 95% CI 25.7%-58.5%), and impaired diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (31.7%; 95% CI 25.8%-3.2%). Interpretation: Our work shows that 45% of COVID-19 survivors, regardless of hospitalisation status, were experiencing a range of unresolved symptoms at ∼ 4 months. Current understanding is limited by heterogeneous study design, follow-up durations, and measurement methods. Definition of subtypes of Long Covid is unclear, subsequently hampering effective treatment/management strategies. Funding: No funding.

Indexed as

COVID-19Long CovidMeta analyses

Identifiers

PMID36474804
PMCPMC9714474

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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.