Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37245047›Full record

SynthesisSystematic reviews2023

A systematic review and meta-analysis of long COVID symptoms.

Arun Natarajan, Ashish Shetty, Gayathri Delanerolle, Yutian Zeng, Yingzhe Zhang, Vanessa Raymont, Shanaya Rathod, Sam Halabi, Kathryn Elliot, Jian Qing Shi and 1 more

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Systematic reviews, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 131 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
131citing papers in PubMed, 7 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, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  5. Pentoxifylline in COVID-19 and considerations for its research in long COVID.Inflammation research : official journal of the European Histamine Research Society ... [et al.] · 2024
    Pooled it
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  8. Trial
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  13. Review
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  16. Understanding the Impact of Long COVID on the Lives of Thai University Students.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026
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  17. Observational
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Article

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

11 authors.

Arun Natarajan *Hillingdon Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Pain Services, Uxbridge, UK.
Ashish Shetty *University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Gayathri Delanerolle *Nuffield Department of Primary Health Care Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Yutian Zeng *Department of Statistics and Data Science, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shezhen, China.
Yingzhe Zhang *West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Vanessa RaymontDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Shanaya RathodResearch & Innovation Department, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK.
Sam Halabi *O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC, USA.
Kathryn Elliot *Research & Innovation Department, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK.
Jian Qing Shi *Department of Statistics and Data Science, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shezhen, China.
Peter PhiriResearch & Innovation Department, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK. peter.phiri@southernhealth.nhs.uk.ORCID 0000-0001-9950-3254

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOngoing symptoms or the development of new symptoms following a SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis has caused a complex clinical problem known as "long COVID" (LC). This has introduced further pressure on global healthcare systems as there appears to be a need for ongoing clinical management of these patients. LC personifies heterogeneous symptoms at varying frequencies. The most complex symptoms appear to be driven by the neurology and neuropsychiatry spheres.

methodsA systematic protocol was developed, peer reviewed, and published in PROSPERO. The systematic review included publications from the 1st of December 2019-30th June 2021 published in English. Multiple electronic databases were used. The dataset has been analyzed using a random-effects model and a subgroup analysis based on geographical location. Prevalence and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were established based on the data identified.

resultsOf the 302 studies, 49 met the inclusion criteria, although 36 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The 36 studies had a collective sample size of 11,598 LC patients. 18 of the 36 studies were designed as cohorts and the remainder were cross-sectional. Symptoms of mental health, gastrointestinal, cardiopulmonary, neurological, and pain were reported.

conclusionsThe quality that differentiates this meta-analysis is that they are cohort and cross-sectional studies with follow-up. It is evident that there is limited knowledge available of LC and current clinical management strategies may be suboptimal as a result. Clinical practice improvements will require more comprehensive clinical research, enabling effective evidence-based approaches to better support patients.

Indexed as

COVID-19COVID-19 TestingHumansMental HealthPost-Acute COVID-19 SyndromeSARS-CoV-2Autonomic dysfunctionGastrointestinalLong COVIDNeurologyNeuropsychiatryPain

Identifiers

PMID37245047
PMCPMC10220332

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.