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Meta-Analysis
. 2023 Sep 15;13(1):15332.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-42321-9.

Risk of long COVID main symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Zoe Marjenberg  1 , Sean Leng  2   3 , Carlo Tascini  4 , Megha Garg  5 , Kate Misso  5 , Clotilde El Guerche Seblain  6 , Nabila Shaikh  7
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Risk of long COVID main symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Zoe Marjenberg et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

This review aimed to summarise the relative risk (RR) of the main symptoms of long COVID in people infected with SARS-CoV-2 compared to uninfected controls, as well as the difference in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after infection. MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, NLM-LitCovid, WHO-COVID-19, arXiv and Europe-PMC were searched up to 23rd March 2022. Studies reporting risk (four or more weeks after infection) of fatigue, shortness of breath, and cognitive dysfunction, as well as comparative HRQoL outcomes, were included. Pairwise random-effects meta-analyses were performed to pool risks of individual symptoms. Thirty-three studies were identified; twenty studies reporting symptom risks were included in the meta-analyses. Overall, infection with SARS-CoV-2 carried significantly higher risk of fatigue (RR 1.72, 95% confidence intervals [CIs] 1.41, 2.10), shortness of breath (RR 2.60, 95% CIs 1.96, 3.44), memory difficulties (RR 2.53, 95% CIs 1.30, 4.93), and concentration difficulties (RR 2.14, 95% CIs 1.25, 3.67). Quality of life findings were varied and comparisons between studies were challenging due to different HRQoL instruments used and study heterogeneity, although studies indicated that severe hospitalised COVID is associated with a significantly poorer HRQoL after infection. These risks are likely to constantly change as vaccines, reinfections, and new variants alter global immunity.

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Conflict of interest statement

Review funded by Sanofi. Sean Leng and Carlo Tascini have no conflicts to declare. Nabila Shaikh and Clotilde El Guerche Seblain are employees of Sanofi and hold stock and/or stock options in the company. Zoe Marjenberg, Megha Garg and Kate Misso are employees of Maverex Ltd and received funding for their role in conducting the SLR.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of study selection.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Meta-analyses results (random-effects) of risk of fatigue (a) and shortness of breath (b) after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Arrow indicates upper 95% CI is greater than risk ratio scale range shown. df, degrees of freedom; RE, random-effects.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Meta-analyses results (random-effects) of risk of cognitive problems (a), memory problems (b), and concentration problems (c) after SARS-CoV-2 infection. df, degrees of freedom; RE, random-effects.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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