SynthesisMedical sciences (Basel, Switzerland)2026
Impact of COVID-19 on the Development of Femoral Head Avascular Necrosis: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCOVID-19 has been linked to musculoskeletal complications, including femoral head avascular necrosis (AVN). Both COVID-19-related hypercoagulability and corticosteroid therapy have been proposed as contributing factors. This systematic review synthesizes current evidence on the occurrence, clinical characteristics, timing, and risk factors for femoral head AVN following COVID-19.
methodsA PRISMA-compliant systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and Scopus identified observational studies and case series (≥10 patients) reporting femoral head AVN in adults or adolescents with confirmed COVID-19. Data on epidemiology, symptom onset, imaging findings, and corticosteroid exposure were narratively synthesized due to heterogeneity.
resultsFifteen eligible studies described patients with post-COVID femoral head AVN. Symptom onset ranged from days to >12 months after infection. Early MRI often revealed asymptomatic or low-grade disease. Corticosteroid exposure was common and strongly associated with AVN severity; however, several studies reported AVN in patients without steroid use, whether this reflects an independent contribution of COVID-19 or unrecognized confounding cannot be determined from the available uncontrolled data. Higher cumulative steroid doses, severe pulmonary involvement, and elevated inflammatory markers were consistently linked to more advanced AVN stages.
conclusionsFemoral head AVN is an emerging post-COVID complication with variable timing and presentation. Corticosteroid exposure remains the principal risk factor; whether COVID-19 contributes independently of corticosteroids is unproven, and current evidence supports an association rather than a causal relationship. Awareness of this potential complication is warranted, although the role of early MRI screening remains to be established in prospective studies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.