Post‐COVID‐19‐associated multiorgan complications or “long COVID” with literature review and management strategy discussion: A meta‐analysis

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the post-COVID-19 long-term complications or long COVID of various organ systems in patients after 3 months of the infection, specifically before the Omicron variant, with comparative literature analysis.Methods: A systemic literature search and meta-analysis were conducted using multiple electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane library) with predefined search terms to identify eligible articles. Eligible studies reported long-term complications of COVID-19 infection before the Omicron variant infection. Case reports, case series, observational studies with cross-sectional or prospective research design, case-control studies, and experimental studies that reported post-COVID-19 complications were included. The complications reported after 3 months after the recovery from COVID-19 infection were included in the study.Results: The total number of studies available for analysis was 34. The effect size

Long COVID management: a mini review of current recommendations and underutilized modalities

“…The most commonly reported long COVID symptoms include: fatigue, dyspnea, cognitive impairment, myalgias and arthralgias, headache, cough, chest pain, smell and taste alterations ( 17 , 26 , 33 , 34 ). No specific biomarkers exist to detect long COVID ( 4 , 15 , 18 ) although proposed biomarkers include: C-reactive protein ( 35 ), interferon gamma ( 36 ), interleukin-6 ( 35 , 37 ), and tumor necrosis factor alpha ( 38 ). Antibodies do not facilitate the retrospective diagnosis of infection in patients with long COVID.…”

“…There is general agreement across the literature stating the most effective way to prevent long COVID is to prevent COVID-19 infection with appeals for strong vaccination efforts ( 15 , 18 , 72 ). Vaccination may decrease prevalence of long COVID among US adults by almost 20.9% with at least two-dose vaccination associated with lower risk of persistent fatigue and pulmonary complaints ( 72 , 73 ).…”

“…COVID-19 was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020 and as of March 2024, the World Health Organization reports over 775 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide; 103 million cases are in the United States alone ( 14 ). The prevalence of long COVID may be underestimated due to the breadth and variability of symptoms ( 15 ). There is consistent evidence that women are more likely to report symptoms of long COVID and have a diagnosis compared to men ( 6 , 16–18 ).…”

Exploring Metabolic Anomalies in COVID-19 and Post-COVID-19: A Machine Learning Approach with Explainable Artificial Intelligence

“…The post-recovery symptoms, often referred to as "Post-COVID-19" or "Long COVID-19" syndrome, can persist for weeks or up to 2 years after the initial infection 9 . Although certain mechanisms, viral persistence 10 , immune dysregulation 7 , and organ damage 11 , have been identified as potentially involved in Post-COVID-19 symptoms, their exact understanding remains incomplete. One suitable factor accompanying the post-symptoms is metabolic reprogramming at the systemic level.…”