Guy Gin

In 2021, Kisielinski et al. published a long scoping review called “Is a Mask That Covers the Mouth and Nose Free from Undesirable Side Effects in Everyday Use and Free of Potential Hazards?” [TL:DR Hell no!] In it, they coined the term Mask-Induced Exhaustion Syndrome (MIES) to collectively describe the numerous and varied adverse effects of masks found in the scientific literature up to that point.

Last week, Kisielinski et al. validated their concept of MIES in a new paper in Frontiers in Public Health titled “Physio-metabolic and clinical consequences of wearing face masks— Systematic review with meta-analysis and comprehensive evaluation.”

The 54-study qualitative analysis confirmed the MIES symptoms shown in the figure above and also some new ones. But the main value of the new paper is the 37-study meta-analysis, which quantified the physio-metabolic burden of mask-wearing.