More Than 50 Long-Term Effects of COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

August 2021 in “ Scientific Reports ”

Sandra López-Léon, Talía Wegman-Ostrosky, Carol Perelman, Rosalinda Sepúlveda, Paulina A. Rebolledo, Angélica Cuapio, Sonia Villapol

hair loss

TLDR COVID-19 leaves 80% of patients with long-term symptoms like fatigue and headaches.

This systematic review and meta-analysis analyzed 15 studies with a total of 47,910 patients to estimate the prevalence of long-term effects of COVID-19. It found that 80% of patients experienced at least one long-term symptom, with the most common being fatigue (58%), headache (44%), attention disorder (27%), hair loss (25%), and dyspnea (24%). The study calls for further research to understand these symptoms individually and collectively, and for the development of preventive and rehabilitative strategies to manage long COVID-19 effects. It also notes the need for future studies to consider factors like age, comorbidities, and disease severity, and for standardized definitions and measures to improve understanding and treatment of these long-term effects.

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Research cited in this study

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research Telogen Effluvium: A Sequela of COVID-19

58 citations , November 2020 in “International Journal of Dermatology”

COVID-19 may cause a temporary hair loss condition called telogen effluvium in some patients after recovery.

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