Post-acute Sequelae in COVID-19 Survivors: an Overview

Adekunle Sanyaolu; Aleksandra Marinkovic; Stephanie Prakash; Anne Zhao; Vyshnavy Balendra; Nafees Haider; Isha Jain; Teodora Simic; Chuku Okorie

doi:10.1007/s42399-022-01172-7

Post-acute Sequelae in COVID-19 Survivors: an Overview

SN Compr Clin Med. 2022;4(1):91. doi: 10.1007/s42399-022-01172-7. Epub 2022 Apr 6.

Authors

Adekunle Sanyaolu¹, Aleksandra Marinkovic², Stephanie Prakash², Anne Zhao³, Vyshnavy Balendra², Nafees Haider⁴, Isha Jain⁵, Teodora Simic⁶, Chuku Okorie⁷

Affiliations

¹ Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, Nigeria.
² Saint James School of Medicine, The Quarter, 2640 Anguilla.
³ Stanford Health Care, Palo Alto, CA USA.
⁴ All Saints University School of Medicine, Roseau, Dominica.
⁵ Windsor University School of Medicine, Kitts, Cayon Saint Kitts and Nevis.
⁶ DePaul University, Lincoln Park Campus, Chicago, IL USA.
⁷ Union County College, Plainfield Campus, Plainfield, NJ USA.

Abstract

In the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection, varying degrees of clinical manifestations have been noticed in patients. Some patients who recovered from the infection developed long-term effects which have become of interest to the scientific and medical communities, as it relates to pathogenesis and the multidisciplinary approach to treatment. Long COVID (long-term or long-haul) is the collective term used to define recovered individuals of SARS-CoV-2 infection who have presented with persistent COVID symptoms, as well as the emergence of disorders and complications. Following the review of literature from major scientific databases, this paper investigated long COVID and the resulting post-sequela effects on survivors, regardless of initial disease severity. The clinical manifestations and multisystem complications of the disease specifically, cardiovascular, neurologic and psychologic, hematologic, pulmonary, dermatologic, and other ailments were discussed. Patients with chronic COVID-19 were found to experience heart thrombosis leading to myocardial infarction, inflammation, lung fibrosis, stroke, venous thromboembolism, arterial thromboembolism, "brain fog", general mood dysfunctions, dermatological issues, and fatigue. As the disease continues to progress and spread, and with the emergence of new variants the management of these persisting symptoms will pose a challenge for healthcare providers and medical systems in the next period of the pandemic. However, more information is needed about long COVID, particularly concerning certain patient populations, variability in follow-up times, the prevalence of comorbidities, and the evolution of the spread of infection. Thus, continued research needs to be conducted concerning the disease pathology to develop preventative measures and management strategies to treat long COVID.

Keywords: Chronic COVID-19; Late sequelae after coronavirus; Long COVID-19: Long-term effects of COVID; Long-haulers; Post-acute SARS-CoV-2.

Publication types

Review