Table 1.
Post-COVID-19 complications reported in the included studies
| Complications | Symptoms | Number of reported studies | Countries of the reported studies | Follow-up duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Respiratory complications | (1) Breathlessness/dyspnoea/ tachypnea (2) Cough (3) Lung function abnormalities (↓FEV1, ↓FEV1/FVC) (4) Pulmonary fibrosis Interstitial thickening Crazy paving (5) Residual ground-glass opacity (6) Abnormal diffusion (7) Pulmonary embolism (8) Pneumonia |
36 studies | 10 Chinese, 1 Egyptian, 1 German, 6 British, 3 Italian 3 Netherlanders, 1 Saudi, 1 Belgian, 3 USA, 1 Australian, 1 French, 1 Belgian & Netherlanders 1 Canadian, 1 Iranian, 1 Spanish and 1 Norwegian |
6 weeks post-hospital discharge[31, 40, 47] 4 months post-hospital discharge[32] |
| Nervous system complications | (1) Post-traumatic stress disorder (2) Depression (3) Anxiety (4) Memory problems: Immediate verbal memory, delayed memory, semantic verbal fluency (5) Insomnia (6) Sleeping disturbance (7) Cognitive impairment & concentration problem (8) Stigma |
28 studies | 5 Chinese, 1 Egyptian, 7 British, 1 German, 3 Italian, 2 Netherlanders, 1 Irish, 1 Spanish, 2 Korean, 1 Bangladesh, 3 USA and 1 Indian |
14 days post-hospital discharge[56] 4 months post-hospital discharge[34] |
| Musculoskeletal complications | (1) Generalized pain (2) Joint pain (3) Muscles pain (4) Fatigue/physical decline |
23 Studies | 1 Egyptian, 1 German, 8 British, 2 Chinese, 1 Italian, 1 Saudi, 1 Belgium, 3 U.S., 1 Bangladesh,1 Indian, 2 Netherlanders & Belgian and 1 Faroe Island |
35 days post-hospital discharge.[45] 3 months post-discharge [39] |
| Miscellaneous complications | Headache, weight loss, alopecia, loss of taste, loss of smell, sore throat, voice and swallow abnormalities and malnutrition. | 17 studies | 1 Italian, 2 British, 5 Chinese, 1 Australian, 1 Mexican, 1 Helsinki, 1 Egyptian, 1 Bangladesh, 1 Netherlanders+ Belgian, 1 Faroe Island, 1 French and 1 Indian |
7.5 days (IQR, 6–13)[12] 125 (17, 45–153) days post the onset of symptoms[68] |
| Cardiovascular complications | (1) ↑ resting rates (2) Palpitation (3) Elevation in the blood pressure (4)Pericardial chest pain (5) Chest tightness (6) T2 signal and positive late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) (7) Myocardial oedema (8) Pericardial effusion (9) Diastolic dysfunction (10) Pulmonary hypertension (11) Non-specific patterns of capillaries abnormalities (12) Hemosiderin deposits (13) Cardiac arrhythmias |
9 studies | 3 Chinese, 2 USA, 2 Italian, 1 Australian and 1 German | 47 (36–58) days[21] 3 months post-hospital discharge[36] |
| Gastrointestinal complications | (1) Nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea (2) Acute liver injury |
4 studies | 1 UK, 1 German and 2 Chinese | 1 month post-hospital discharge[74] 3 month post-hospital discharge[37] |
| Readmission | Pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, Lumbar puncture, and cough without positive COVID-19 reinfection. | 3 studies | 2 Chinese and 1 USA | 22 days (20–30 days)[54] 80 days (IQR, 68–84 days) [13] |
| Urinary system complications | Residual renal impairment | 1 study | 1 British | 3 months post-hospital discharge [37] |