Prevalence of cardiovascular symptoms in post-acute COVID-19 syndrome: a meta-analysis – BMC Medicine
Background Since 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. Methods This meta-analysis adhered to PRISMA guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024524290). A systematic sea
