Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39915795›Full record

SynthesisBMC medicine2025

Prevalence of cardiovascular symptoms in post-acute COVID-19 syndrome: a meta-analysis.

Li-Wei Huang, Hua-Min Li, Bei He, Xiao-Bo Wang, Qi-Zhi Zhang, Wen-Xing Peng

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
20citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

20 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  15. Long COVID-19: A Concept Analysis.Infectious disease reports · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Li-Wei HuangDepartment of Pharmacy, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China.
Hua-Min LiDepartment of Pharmacy, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China.
Bei HeDepartment of Pharmacy, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China.
Xiao-Bo WangDepartment of Ophthalmology, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China.
Qi-Zhi ZhangDepartment of Pharmacy, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China.
Wen-Xing PengDepartment of Pharmacy, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China. pwx.csu@csu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7032-7293

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSince its emergence in 2019, COVID-19 has continued to pose significant threats to both the physical and mental health of the global population, as well as to healthcare systems worldwide (Raman et al., Eur Heart J 43:1157-1172, 2022). Emerging evidence indicates that COVID-19 may lead to post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS) with cardiovascular implications, potentially driven by factors such as ACE2 interaction with viruses, systemic inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction. However, there remains a limited amount of research on the cardiovascular manifestations of PACS, which may delay the development of optimal treatment strategies for affected patients. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the prevalence of cardiovascular sequelae in COVID-19 patients and to determine whether COVID-19 infection acts as an independent risk factor for these outcomes.

methodsThis meta-analysis adhered to PRISMA guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024524290). A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library was conducted up to March 17, 2024. The primary outcomes included hypertension, palpitations, and chest pain, with pooled effect estimate reported as proportions and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Sensitivity and subgroup analysis were performed to assess the robustness of the results and to identify sources of heterogeneity.

resultsA total of 37 studies, encompassing 2,965,467 patients, were included in the analysis. Pooled results from case-control studies revealed that, compared to the control group, the ORs of chest pain in the COVID-19 group was 4.0 (95% CI: 1.6, 10.0). The ORs for palpitation and hypertension were 3.4 (95% CI: 1.1, 10.2) and 1.7 (95% CI: 1.6, 1.8), respectively. The proportions of PACS patients experiencing chest pain, palpitation, and hypertension as sequelae were 22% (95% CI: 14%, 33%), 18% (95% CI: 13%, 24%), and 19% (95% CI: 12%, 31%), respectively.

conclusionsOur findings indicate that 15% of COVID-19 patients experience cardiovascular sequelae. Furthermore, COVID-19 infection significantly increases the likelihood of developing these sequelae compared to uninfected individuals. Future research should prioritize investigating the underlying pathological mechanisms and developing targeted preventive and management strategies.

trial registrationCRD42024524290.

Indexed as

Cardiovascular DiseasesCOVID-19HumansPost-Acute COVID-19 SyndromePrevalenceRisk FactorsSARS-CoV-2Cardiovascular symptomsCOVID-19Meta analysisPost acute COVID-19 syndrome

Identifiers

PMID39915795
PMCPMC11803987

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.