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Review
. 2024 Jul 2;16(7):e63656.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.63656. eCollection 2024 Jul.

The Prevalence and Associated Factors of Post-COVID-19 Fatigue: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Wangjuan Hu  1 , Rongzhu Tang  1 , Siyuan Gong  1 , Jihong Liu  1 , Jia Li  1 , Chunlian Liao  1
Affiliations
Review

The Prevalence and Associated Factors of Post-COVID-19 Fatigue: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Wangjuan Hu et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

After the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, numerous individuals experienced the enduring consequences of infection. One of the psychological symptoms that patients report most frequently is persistent fatigue, which is also called post-COVID-19 fatigue. This persistent fatigue can prolong recovery time for hospitalized patients and reduce exercise motivation for residents, affecting their health and working conditions. To determine the prevalence and associated factors, we conducted searches in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library, from inception to 27 March 2023, and a total of 38 studies and 17,738 patients were included in this analysis. We analyzed data and estimated publication bias by Egger's test and funnel plot by STATA 14. We summarized the prevalence of post-COVID-19 fatigue and calculated the pooled OR to determine associated factors. This study revealed that the prevalence of fatigue in post-COVID-19 syndrome was 46.6% (95% CI: 38.5%-54.7%). Being female (OR: 0.40, 95% CI: 0.24-0.56), older age (OR: 0.04, 95% CI: 0.01-0.07), clinical severity (OR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.24-1.09), the number of acute COVID symptoms (OR: 3.23, 95% CI: 1.83-5.69), preexisting hypertension (OR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.08-1.42), lung disease (OR: 2.71, 95% CI: 1.07-6.89), and depression (OR: 1.55, 95% CI: 1.01-2.39) were risk factors for post-COVID-19 fatigue. By revealing the association of these factors with fatigue, it can help us to identify and treat post-COVID-19 fatigue early.

Keywords: covid-19; meta-analysis; post-covid-19 fatigue; prevalence; systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. PRISMA flow diagram of the literature research process and results.
PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
Figure 2
Figure 2. The pooled prevalence of post-COVID-19 fatigue.
CI: Confidence interval; ES: Effect size
Figure 3
Figure 3. The forest plot of pooled OR between female gender and post-COVID-19 fatigue.
OR: Odds ratio
Figure 4
Figure 4. The forest plot of pooled OR between age and post-COVID-19 fatigue.
OR: Odds ratio
Figure 5
Figure 5. The forest plot of pooled OR between clinical severity and post-COVID-19 fatigue.
OR: Odds ratio
Figure 6
Figure 6. The forest plot of pooled OR between the number of acute COVID symptoms and post-COVID-19 fatigue.
OR: Odds ratio
Figure 7
Figure 7. Sensitivity analysis.
Figure 8
Figure 8. Funnel plot of publication bias.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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