Long COVID: An overview

Abstract

Background and aims Long COVID is the collective term to denote persistence of symptoms in those who have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods WE searched the pubmed and scopus databases for original articles and reviews. Based on the search result, in this review article we are analyzing various aspects of Long COVID. Results Fatigue, cough, chest tightness, breathlessness, palpitations, myalgia and difficulty to focus are symptoms reported in long COVID. It could be related to organ damage, post viral syndrome, post-critical care syndrome and others. Clinical evaluation should focus on identifying the pathophysiology, followed by appropriate remedial measures. In people with symptoms suggestive of long COVID but without known history of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, serology may help confirm the diagnosis. Conclusions This review will helps the clinicians to manage various aspects of Long COVID.

Cardiac sequelae after coronavirus disease 2019 recovery: a systematic review

“…Thus, we could not exclude the presence at baseline of at least part of the observed cardiac findings in some studies. Moreover, cardiac sequelae, in turn, could be part of increasingly reported syndromes post COVID-19, such as long COVID syndrome, with symptoms such as palpitations and dyspnea stretching past the acute phase ( 60 ), and/or multisystem inflammatory syndrome which causes multi-organ damage, many weeks after COVID-19 ( 61 ). Also, despite that current trials did not conclude any significant burden of cardiac sequelae with major utilized drugs for COVID-19 treatment ( 62 , 63 , 64 ), these should be considered in sequelae assessment.…”

Inhalation Delivery for the Treatment and Prevention of COVID-19 Infection

“…According to a report of 72,314 cases from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about 81% of patients (36160 cases) had mild to moderate disease (i.e., non-pneumonia and mild pneumonia), 14% had severe disease ((i.e., dyspnea, respiratory frequency ≥30/min, blood oxygen saturation ≤93%, partial pressure of arterial oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen ratio <300, and/or lung infiltrates >50% within 24 to 48 h), and 5% were critically ill (i.e., respiratory failure, septic shock, and/or multiple organ dysfunction or failure) [ 144 ]. A few recovered COVID-19 patients develop one or more persistent symptoms or new symptoms lasting weeks or months, which is called “long-haul COVID”, “long COVID” or “post COVID syndrome” [ 145 ]. Long COVID is divided into acute COVID and chronic COVID, depending upon the duration of symptoms.…”

Post COVID-19 Syndrome (“Long COVID”) and Diabetes: Challenges in Diagnosis and Management

“…Common symptoms include fatigue, breathlessness, myalgia, weakness, headache, cognitive blunting etc. This conglomeration of symptoms is called “Long COVID” or more appropriately as “Post COVID-19 Syndrome (PCS)” [ 2 ]. The aim of the brief review is to summarise current knowledge of health events occurring after COVID-19 in brief and relate them for patients with diabetes.…”

“…Many other factors have been hypothesised; persistent tissue reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2, re-activation of other viruses, brainstem and/or vagus nerve dysfunctions and activation of autoimmunity due to molecular mimicry between pathogen and host proteins [ 10 ]. In addition, secondary infections (bacterial or fungal), effects of prolonged hospitalisation, sequelae of critical illness, post intensive care syndrome, drug side effects (e.g., corticosteroids), socioeconomic and psychological impact of the illness, may contribute [ 2 , 11 ]. Further, protein and micronutrient deficiencies due to prolonged hospitalisation and poor oral intake, cause nutrient deficient state in patients with severe COVID-19 [ 12 , 13 ].…”