Observational studyJournal of translational medicine2026
Persistent impairments in muscle function and symptom burden in post-COVID syndrome: a prospective longitudinal study.
Observational study in Journal of translational medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05635552 (All Eyes on PCS - Analysis of the Retinal Microvasculature in Patients With Post-COVID-19 Syndrome), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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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
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All Eyes on PCS - Analysis of the Retinal Microvasculature in Patients With Post-COVID-19 Syndrome
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPost-COVID syndrome (PCS) is characterized by persistent heterogeneous symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection, yet objective biomarkers for symptom severity and longitudinal disease trajectories remain limited. We aimed to characterize muscle function over time in PCS and examine its relationship with symptom burden and neuroaxonal injury markers.
methodsIn this prospective observational study, patients fulfilling WHO criteria for PCS underwent standardized assessments at baseline (BL) and six-month follow-up (FU). Muscle function was assessed using a multidimensional handgrip strength (HGS) protocol capturing mean force (Fmean), fatigability (fatigue ratio), and recovery capacity alongside clinical symptom measures. Analyses included longitudinal assessment within the PCS cohort, comparisons with COVID-19 recovered controls, analysis of symptom persistence, and matched cohort analyses including HGS measures and circulating neurofilament light chain (NfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP).
resultsAmong 204 participants (102 PCS, 102 recovered controls) PCS patients showed lower Fmean and higher fatigability at BL and FU (both p < 0.01). Muscle function parameters remained largely stable over six months, with only modest improvement in recovery (p = 0.015). HGS parameters correlated with symptom burden (ρ ≈ -0.28 to -0.33), and BL impairments were associated with worse fatigue and depressive symptoms at FU (e.g., Fmean-PHQ-9: β = -0.11, p = 0.022; fatigue ratio-FSS: β = 1.66, p = 0.008). Exploratory analyses suggested slightly higher NfL and GFAP levels in PCS in some models, without consistent associations with muscle function or symptoms.
conclusionsHGS is persistently reduced in PCS over at least six months and aligns with symptom burden. Multidimensional HGS assessment may provide a practical objective marker of functional impairment and symptom persistence in PCS. Neuroaxonal injury markers showed modest elevations in PCS in some analyses but appeared unrelated to muscle performance, suggesting partially distinct mechanisms.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05635552. Registered 1 December 2022 - Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05635552?term=NCT05635552&rank=1&tab=study.
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