Functional Recovery of Adults Following Acute COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Most of the 106 included studies were single-site observational cohorts with no control group, and most were graded only moderate quality. Results varied enormously between studies (I² above 94% for almost every analysis), so the averages hide wide differences between studies and populations. Individual patient data were not available, so the results could not be adjusted for age, sex or body mass index, and the grip strength figures were not adjusted for age or sex. Physical function before COVID-19 was not known in most studies, so it is unclear how much of the reduced function came from the infection itself. Only 3 studies reported on non-hospitalised patients alone and few reported intensive care subgroups, which limits the subgroup comparisons. Several outcomes, such as the Short Physical Performance Battery and the one-minute sit-to-stand test, were reported by only a handful of studies.

The only funding statement given names the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre. No conflicts of interest are stated in the text provided.

Do not assume these results describe people who had mild COVID-19 at home. Most of the included studies (76 of 106) reported on patients who had been hospitalised, and the few studies of non-hospitalised patients were pooled together with the hospitalised ones.