Evidence reports on post-COVID condition

These reports and evidence summaries have been produced by SBU as part of government assignments on post-COVID condition (long covid). The reports cover a variety of topics, such as physical exercise and other treatment and rehabilitation modalities, vaccination, and other issues relevant to the healthcare and support of individuals with post-COVID condition.

Reading time approx. 3 minutes Published: May 29, 2026 Publication type:

SBU Policy support

Identifies and presents available scientific evidence to support policy and decision making, including the development of national guidelines, at other government agencies. In consultation with professional experts, SBU staff generates supporting documentation to address the various questions that have been posed.

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Published: May 29, 2026 Registration no: SBU 2025/222 ISBN: 978-91-991142-0-0 https://www.sbu.se/2025_222e

Post-COVID condition - an evidence map of treatment and rehabilitation studies
This evidence map is a living systematic review that builds on previously published evidence maps by SBU. It now includes 105 articles (based on 102 studies) examining various types of treatment and rehabilitation interventions. All included studies are randomized clinical trials that have been assessed by SBU as methodologically robust, in the sense that only studies with a low or moderate risk of bias are included. The studies are heterogeneous in many respects, and follow-up periods are generally no longer than three months.
Read the report (in Swedish)
The included studies can be sorted according to different characteristics in the interactive evidence map (in Swedish)

Physical Exercise in Post-COVID Condition – A Systematic Review
This report summarizes and estimates the effects of physical exercise as a treatment for persons with post covid Post-COVID Condition. The included studies varied with respect to the type of physical exercise: aerobic training was included in nearly all studies, whereas resistance training was included in the majority, and breathing exercises in just under half of the studies. Several studies also combined different exercise modalities. Despite this heterogeneity, it was deemed feasible to pool the study results. Meta-analyses were conducted for the following outcomes: cardiorespiratory fitness, lung function, physical function, and self-reported measures of depression, anxiety, fatigue, and health-related quality of life.
Read the report (in Swedish)

Post-COVID condition - report of systematic reviews addressing questions relevant to health care for persons with post covid condition
This report presents twelve systematic reviews that address various research questions relevant to the management of individuals with post-COVID condition in the Swedish healthcare system. The report covers topics such as the pathophysiology, prevalence, and symptoms of post-COVID condition, post-exertional malaise (PEM), quality of life, experiences of patients and healthcare professionals, as well as interventions and approaches to support return to work.
Read the report (in Swedish)

The SBU Enquiry Service has also published two reports regarding the effects of vaccination in preventing and treating post-COVID condition. The reports are available here:

More than five years have passed since Sweden, and the rest of the world, experienced the acute COVID-19 pandemic. Early on, it became evident that some individuals were prone to develop post-COVID condition, a condition characterised by symptoms that persisted long after the acute infection had resolved. Post-COVID condition is heterogeneous in nature and associated with a wide range of symptoms and functional impairments that can affect both health and everyday life, sometimes to a considerable extent.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, SBU has been commissioned by the Swedish Government to undertake several projects related to post-COVID condition. Initially, these efforts focused on identifying specific symptoms and problems that persisted following an acute COVID-19 infection, as well as assessing their prevalence. Read the report “Long-term symptoms of the disease Covid-19” (Summary in English).

In 2021, research questions related to post-COVID condition were mapped and prioritized through a process involving researchers, healthcare professionals, patients, and family members. The research questions that were considered most urgent included the need for better knowledge regarding treatment and rehabilitation interventions for fatigue and cognitive impairment, as well as measures to improve lung function and physical fitness. Other priorities included gaining a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the condition and developing improved diagnostic methods. Read the report “Priority setting of future research into long-term symptoms of Covid-19 infection (post-acute sequelae of Covid-19 or Long Covid)”.

The first evidence map of studies that covered research on treatment and rehabilitation interventions for long COVID was published in autumn 2022. At that time, the report identified and included 11 studies. Read the report “Post COVID-19 – effective treatment and rehabilitation” (Summary in English).

In 2024, SBU published the report Treatment and rehabilitation interventions for post-COVID and other related conditions and syndromes – a systematic mapping of studies (in Swedish). By then, the number of treatment and rehabilitation studies on post-COVID condition had increased to 54 studies. In addition, systematic reviews were conducted on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS/PANDAS), long-term complications following sepsis and influenza, as well as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). For these conditions, the available research based on randomised clinical trials was limited.

Interactive map of primary studies on post-COVID condition (in Swedish)

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Project group

Experts

Marika Möller, specialist in neuropsychology, associate professor. Danderyd Hospital/Karolinska Institutet
Per Åkesson, specialist in infectious diseases, associate professor. Skåne University Hospital

From SBU

Per Lytsy, project manager
Annicka Hedman, assistant project manager
Jessica Dagerhamn, assistant project manager
Elham Ali Mohammed, project member
Jenny Ågren, project member
Laura Lintamo, project member
Carl Gornitzki, information specialist
Maria Ahlberg, project administrator
Pernilla Östlund, head of unit (until 2025-08-31)
Jenny Odeberg, head of unit (from 2025-09-01)

Appendices

Post covid condition - an evidence map of treatment and rehabilitation studies

Physical Exercise in Post-COVID Condition – A Systematic Review

Post-COVID condition - report of systematic reviews addressing questions relevant to health care for persons with post covid condition

Page published May 29, 2026

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