Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41856572›Full record

GuidelineThe European respiratory journal2026

Clinical practice guideline for long COVID prevention and treatment.

Bin Cao, Joan B Soriano, Quanyi Wang, Ziyad Al-Aly, Xiaoying Gu, Guiqiang Wang, Yee-Sin Leo, Yang Jin, Qianling Shi, Norio Ohmagari and 25 more

Abstract readPractice Guideline
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Guideline in The European respiratory journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

35 authors.

Bin CaoNational Center for Respiratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Capital Medical University, Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Tsinghua University-Peking University Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China caobin_ben@163.com.
Joan B SorianoFacultat de Medicina, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9740-2994
Quanyi WangBeijing Key Laboratory of Surveillance, Early Warning and Pathogen Research on Emerging Infectious Diseases, Beijing Research Center for Respiratory Infectious Diseases, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing, China.
Ziyad Al-AlyVA St. Louis Health Care System, St. Louis, MO, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2600-0434
Xiaoying GuNational Center for Respiratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Department of Clinical Research and Data Management, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China.
Guiqiang WangDepartment of Infectious Disease, Center for Liver Disease, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.
Yee-Sin LeoNational Center for Infectious Disease, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
Yang JinDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Hubei Province Clinical Research Center for Major Respiratory Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2409-7073
Qianling ShiThe First School of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Norio OhmagariDisease Control and Prevention Center, Japan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo, Japan.
Enmei LiuDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Roger ParedesDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6553-691X
Hongzhou LuNational Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, The Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen and The Second Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.
Eu Suk KimSeoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, South Korea.
Dingyu ZhangDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), Wuhan, China.
Janne EstillSchool of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9544-1447
Li LiDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Karen SpruytNeuroDiderot-INSERM, Université de Paris, Paris, France.
Weizhong YangSchool of Population Medicine and Public Health, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, Key Laboratory of Pathogen Infection Prevention and Control (Peking Union Medical College), Ministry of Education, Beijing, China.
Yanjiang WangDepartment of Neurology and Centre for Clinical Neuroscience, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Mao-Sheng RanNational Center for Mental Disorders, and Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China.
Xufei LuoEvidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9433-9280
Hui ZhangNational Center for Respiratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China.
Jiuyang XuDepartment of Pediatric Research Institute, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chevidence Lab Child and Adolescent Health, Department of Pediatric Research Institute, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1906-5918
Rongling ZhangNational Center for Respiratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China.
Jungang ZhaoDepartment of Pediatric Research Institute, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chevidence Lab Child and Adolescent Health, Department of Pediatric Research Institute, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Junxian ZhaoResearch Center for Clinical Medicine, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Rachael A EvansThe Institute for Lung Health, NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals of Leicester, Leicester, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1667-868X
Jaehyun JeonDivision of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, National Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Michael J PelusoDivision of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Lee E ErrettDepartment of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Wenhong ZhangDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
James D ChalmersScottish Centre for Respiratory Research, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, UK.
Yaolong ChenDepartment of Pediatric Research Institute, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chevidence Lab Child and Adolescent Health, Department of Pediatric Research Institute, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Multidisciplinary Working Group on Long COVID Practice Guidelines (MWG-LCPG)

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis guideline aims to address key clinical questions of long COVID, and to provide evidence-based recommendations. The target population is adults with long COVID. The primary users of the guideline are clinical physicians, clinical pharmacists, nurses and general practitioners in community healthcare institutions worldwide.

methodsThe guideline was registered at the Practice guideline REgistration for transPAREncy platform (PREPARE-2024CN123) and followed a pre-specified protocol. A multidisciplinary working group was established and comprised 60 members from 10 countries and 10 areas of expertise, with a strong background in long COVID research and clinical practice, and methodology of guideline development. Through a two-step process, we determined eight PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome) questions focusing on prevention and treatment of long COVID. After comprehensively searching literature, conducting systematic reviews and investigating patients' values and preferences, three rounds of Delphi survey were conducted among 24 international experts to reach consensus. The GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) approach was applied to rate the certainty of evidence and determine the strength of recommendations.

resultsThe guideline presents 10 specific recommendations, each supported by existing, updated or newly conducted systematic reviews. The key recommendations are pertinent to the following issues: 1) suggestion of vaccination or use of antiviral agents during the acute phase of COVID-19 to prevent long COVID; 2) suggestions against the use of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir and glucocorticoids (patients with persistent respiratory symptoms and olfactory disorders) for long COVID treatment; 3) suggestions supporting the use of multispecies probiotics, cognitive behavioural therapy (patients with fatigue), and personalised rehabilitation (after ruling out post-exertional malaise) for long COVID treatment.

conclusionsThis guideline provides evidence-based recommendations for the prevention and treatment of long COVID. Given the limited and often low-methodological-quality evidence, all recommendations are supported by very low to moderate certainty. Further high-quality studies are needed to strengthen the evidence base.

Indexed as

COVID-19PandemicsAdultAntiviral AgentsBetacoronavirusEvidence-Based MedicineHumansPost-Acute COVID-19 SyndromeSARS-CoV-2Antiviral Agents

Identifiers

PMID41856572
PMCPMC13392456

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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.