A Systematic Review of the Frequency of Persistent Constitutional and Respiratory Symptoms Related to COVID-19: A New Long COVID Syndrome?
Author(s)
David R. Soriano‐Moreno
Niels Pacheco‐Barrios
Aimé Lescano
William Checkley
Date Issued
1 de mayo de 2021
Type
Other
Start Page
A3795
End Page
A3795
Abstract
Rationale: The long-term consequences of COVID-19 infection on hospitalized patients remains unknown. We sought to conduct a systematic review to summarize what is known about long term sequelae among patients who were hospitalized for severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods: We conducted a search in MEDLINE and MedRxiv through December 15, 2020, using the search terms: “COVID-19”, “Constitutional symptoms”, “COVID- 19 Sequelae”, “Long-term COVID-19” and “Respiratory symptoms.” Articles were evaluated independently by two authors. We then extracted to perform a quantitative synthesis of available evidence and scored studies for quality using the NIH quality assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies. Results: We identified 12 studies: nine published articles and three preprints. We obtained data for 4693 patients: 11 studies included hospitalized patients, 8 included ICU patients and 5 included outpatients. Follow-up time ranged from 16 days to 122 days post-hospitalization. The pooled prevalence of persistent constitutional and respiratory symptoms was: (45.6%), dyspnea (35.5%), cough (26.4%), joint pain (26.8%), myalgia (23.3%), headache (22.2%), and chest pain (20.5%). Heterogeneity across studies was high (I2>90%). Chinese studies reported a lower frequency of persistent symptoms compared with studies carried out in Western countries (e.g., France, Italy, USA, UK). There were no significant differences in long-term sequelae between ICU and non-ICU patients. Conclusion: The prevalence of persistent constitutional and respiratory symptoms in patients infected with COVID-19 is high. Addressing the burden of symptoms that reduce the quality of life is critical in COVID-19 patients.
Subjects