Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37880583›Full record

ArticleBMC infectious diseases2023

Prevalence and predictors of post-COVID-19 symptoms in general practice - a registry-based nationwide study.

Øystein Hetlevik, Knut-Arne Wensaas, Valborg Baste, Knut Erik Emberland, Türküler Özgümüs, Siri Eldevik Håberg, Guri Rortveit

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
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

6 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Understanding how social determinants of health shape Long COVID outcomes: a rapid review of evidence.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Self-reported Long COVID and its Determinants in a Rural North Indian Adult Population: Lessons Learnt from the Pandemic.Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine
    Article
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

7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Øystein HetlevikDepartment of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Postbox 7804, Bergen, NO-5020, Norway. Oystein.hetlevik@uib.no.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8912-3426
Knut-Arne WensaasResearch Unit for General Practice, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Bergen, Norway.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9113-7843
Valborg BasteNational Centre for Emergency Primary Health Care, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Bergen, Norway.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6640-9747
Knut Erik EmberlandDepartment of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Postbox 7804, Bergen, NO-5020, Norway.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1635-7894
Türküler ÖzgümüsDepartment of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Postbox 7804, Bergen, NO-5020, Norway.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2353-8869
Siri Eldevik HåbergCentre for Fertility and Health, The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2199-5225
Guri RortveitDepartment of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Postbox 7804, Bergen, NO-5020, Norway.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0389-2169
University of Bergen · NONORCE Research AS · NONorwegian Institute of Public Health · NO

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWith Norwegian national registry data, we assessed the prevalence of post-COVID-19 symptoms at least 3 months after confirmed infection, and whether sociodemographic factors and pre-pandemic health problems were risk factors for these symptoms.

methodsAll persons with a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test from February 2020 to February 2021 (exposed) were compared to a group without a positive test (unexposed) matched on age, sex, and country of origin. We used Cox regression to estimate hazard ratios (HR) for 18 outcome symptoms commonly described as post-COVID-19 related, registered by GPs. We compared relative risks (RR) for fatigue, memory disturbance, or shortness of breath among exposed and unexposed using Poisson regression models, assessing sex, age, education, country of origin, and pre-pandemic presence of the same symptom and comorbidity as possible risk factors, with additional analyses to assess hospitalisation for COVID-19 as a risk factor among exposed.

resultsThe exposed group (N = 53 846) had a higher prevalence of most outcome symptoms compared to the unexposed (N = 485 757), with the highest risk for shortness of breath (HR 2.75; 95%CI 2.59-2.93), fatigue (2.08; 2.00-2.16) and memory disturbance (1.41;1.26-1.59). High HRs were also found for disturbance of smell/taste and hair loss, but frequencies were low. Concerning risk factors, sociodemographic factors were at large similarly associated with outcome symptoms in both groups. Registration of the outcome symptom before the pandemic increased the risk for fatigue, memory disturbance and shortness of breath after COVID-19, but these associations were weaker among exposed. Comorbidity was not associated with fatigue and shortness of breath in the COVID-19 group. For memory disturbance, the RR was slightly increased with the higher comorbidity score both among exposed and unexposed.

conclusionCOVID-19 was associated with a range of symptoms lasting more than three months after the infection.

Indexed as

COVID-19General PracticeDyspneaFatigueFemaleHumansMalePrevalenceRegistriesSARS-CoV-2General practiceNationwidePost-COVID-19Registry-based studyRisk factorsSARS-CoV-2Symptoms

Identifiers

PMID37880583
PMCPMC10599052
OpenAlexW4387938588

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.