Long-term manifestations and modifiers of prevalence estimates of the post-COVID-19 syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS) is a multi-system disease comprising persistent symptomatology after the acute phase of infection. Long-term PACS effects significantly impact patient outcomes, but their incidence remains uncharacterized due to high heterogeneity between studies. Therefore, we aimed to summarize published data on PACS, characterizing the clinical presentation, prevalence, and modifiers of prevalence estimates. Method: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we research MEDLINE for original studies published from January 1st, 2020, to January 31st, 2021, that reported proportions of PACS manifestations. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they included patients aged ≥18 years with confirmed COVID-19 by RT-PCR or antigen testing and a minimum follow-up of 21 days. The prevalence of individual manifestations across studies was pooled using random-effects meta-analysis. For evaluating determinants of heterogeneity, meta-regression analysis was performed. This study was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42019125025). Results: After screening 1,235 studies, we included 29 reports for analysis. Twenty-seven meta-analyses were performed, and 61 long-term manifestations were described. The pooled prevalence of PACS was 56% (95%CI 45-66%), with the most common manifestations being diminished health status, fatigue, asthenia, dyspnea, myalgias, hyposmia and dysgeusia. Most of the included studies presented high heterogeneity. After conducting the meta-regression analysis, we identified that age, gender, number of comorbidities, and reported symptoms significantly modify the prevalence estimation of PACS long-term manifestations. Conclusion: PACS is inconsistently reported between studies, and population characteristics influence the prevalence estimates due to high heterogeneity. A systematized approach for the study of PACS is needed to characterize its impact adequately.