ReviewHealthcare (Basel, Switzerland)2025
Emerging Evidence on Balneotherapy and Thermal Interventions in Post-COVID-19 Syndrome: A Systematic Review.
Review in Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Climatotherapy in marine and dead sea environments for musculoskeletal and rheumatologic conditions: a systematic review of effectiveness and safety.International journal of biometeorology · 2026Pooled it
- Evidence-based balneotherapy in Hungary. Updated systematic review and meta-analysis of the Hungarian clinical trials.International journal of biometeorology · 2026Pooled it
- Integrating natural non-pharmaceutical therapies into medical tourism: a dynamic health portrait-driven model for proactive older adult health and public health services.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Short-Term Sulfurous Balneotherapy and Self-Reported Sleep Quality: An Exploratory Retrospective Real-World Pre-Post Observational Study at Terme di Saturnia (Italy).Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Sulfurous thermal waters as nature-based health resources: a public health and sustainability perspective.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Standardized Thalassotherapy Versus Conventional Rehabilitation in Post-Traumatic Patients: Clinical, Biochemical, and Quality-of-Life Outcomes.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Longer Health Resort Therapy Improves Outcomes in Long COVID: A Retrospective Study.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Article
- Use of speleotherapy in patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPost-COVID-19 syndrome affects 10-60% of SARS-CoV-2 survivors. While conventional treatments show limited efficacy, emerging evidence suggests the potential benefits of balneotherapy in managing persistent symptoms. We aimed to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of balneotherapy and thermal treatment interventions in treating post-COVID-19 syndrome.
methodsWe conducted a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines, searching major databases through 31 January 2024. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials, observational studies, and pilot studies investigating thermal spa treatments for adult post-COVID-19 patients.
resultsAnalysis of six eligible studies (n = 617) demonstrated significant therapeutic benefits. The largest cohort (n = 159) showed 47% reduction in fatigue and 48% reduction in muscle pain (
conclusionsPreliminary evidence suggests balneotherapy effectively ameliorates multiple post-COVID-19 symptoms, particularly fatigue, muscle pain, and exercise intolerance. While safety profiles appear favorable, larger randomized controlled trials with standardized protocols are needed to establish definitive therapeutic recommendations.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.