Fatigue symptoms associated with COVID-19 in convalescent or recovered COVID-19 patients; a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundThe prevalence and prognosis of post-acute stage SARS-CoV-2 infection fatigue symptoms remain largely unknown. AimsWe performed a systematic review to evaluate the prevalence of fatigue in post-recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection. MethodMedline, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, trial registries, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Google Scholar were searched for studies on fatigue in samples that recovered from PCR diagnosed COVID-19. English, French and Spanish studies were included. Meta-analyses were conducted separately for each recruitment setting. Results We identified 41 studies with 9362 patients that recovered from COVID-19. Post-COVID-19 patients self-report of fatigue was higher compared to healthy controls (RR = 3.688, 95%CI [2.502, 5.436], p < 0.001). Over 50% of patients discharged from inpatient care reported symptoms of fatigue during the first (ER = 0.517, 95%CI [0.278, 0.749]) and second month following recovery (ER = 0.527, 95%CI [0.337, 0.709]). 10% of the community patients reported fatigue in the first-month post-recovery. Patient setting moderated the association between COVID-19 recovery and fatigue symptoms (R2 = 0.11, p < 0.001). Female patients recovering from COVID-19 had a greater self-report of fatigue (OR = 1.782, 95%CI [1.531, 2.870]). Patients recruited through social media had fatigue above 90% across multiple time points. Fatigue was highest in studies from Europe.ConclusionFatigue is a symptom associated with functional challenges which could have economic and social impacts. Developing long-term planning for fatigue management amongst patients beyond the acute stages of SARS-CoV-2 infection is essential to optimizing patient care and public health outcomes. Further studies should examine the impact of sociodemographic, pandemic-related restrictions and pre-existing conditions on fatigue.