Efficacy of traditional Chinese exercises in patients with post-COVID-19 chronic fatigue syndrome: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Some patients develop long-term symptoms after Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is one of the main symptoms. CFS is characterized by fatigue lasting for more than 6 months accompanied by sleep disorders, anxiety, and depression, which causes a certain degree of harm to both physiological and psychological aspects of the individual. Traditional Chinese exercises (TCEs) are an ancient Chinese therapy and has recently been reported to be effective for CFS. Therefore, we will conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis aiming to accurately evaluate the efficacy of TCEs on post-COVID-19 CFS and provide an alternative treatment for post-COVID-19 CFS. METHODS: Seven databases (PubMed, Ovid Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Biology Medicine (CBM), and Wanfang) will be searched from establishment to August 2022, and we will only include randomized controlled trials of TCEs for post-COVID-19 CFS. Two reviews will independently include the research according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Review Manager 5.2 software will be used to analyze the accepted literature, and the relative risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) will be used as effect indicators for the outcome indicator dichotomous variables. For continuous variables, weighted mean difference (MD) and 95% CI will be used as effect indicators. The heterogeneity test will be assessed using the I(2) statistic and Q statistic. The PEDro scale was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the included studies. Subgroup analysis was performed according to different TCEs, age, gender, and duration of CFS. RESULTS: This systematic review and meta-analysis will evaluate the efficacy of TCEs in post-COVID-19 CFS. CONCLUSION: The results of this study will provide reliable evidence for the effects of TCEs for post-COVID-19 CFS on patients’ fatigue, anxiety, depression, sleep, and quality of life.