Abstract
Many patients who had coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had at least one symptom that persisted after recovery from the acute phase. Our purpose was to review the empirical evidence on symptom prevalence, complications, and management of patients with long COVID. We systematically reviewed the literature on the clinical manifestations of long COVID-19, defined by the persistence of symptoms beyond the acute phase of infection. Bibliographic searches in PubMed and Google Scholar were conducted to retrieve relevant studies on confirmed patients with long COVID that were published prior to August 30, 2021. The most common persistent symptoms were fatigue, cough, dyspnea, chest pains, chest tightness, joint pain, muscle pain, loss of taste or smell, hair loss, sleep difficulties, anxiety, and depression. Some of the less common persistent symptoms were skin rash, decreased appetite, sweating, inability to concentrate, and memory lapses. In addition to these general symptoms, some patients experienced dysfunctions of specific organs, mainly the lungs, heart, kidneys, and nervous system. A comprehensive understanding of the persistent clinical manifestations of COVID-19 can improve and facilitate patient management and referrals. Prompt rehabilitative care and targeted interventions of these patients may improve their recovery from physical, immune, and mental health symptoms.
Highlights
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), that was first reported in Wuhan at the end of December 2019 [1, 2]
A wide range of physical and psychological symptoms were observed in patients with long COVID after discharge, including cough, sputum production, dyspnea, chest tightness, chest pain, myalgia, fever, dizziness, headaches, arthralgia, diarrhea or vomiting, sore throat or difficulties in swallowing, ageusia, anosmia, hair loss, palpitations, fatigue or muscle weakness, anxiety or depression, and sleep difficulties (Table 2)
The term “long COVID” is used to describe people who recovered from acute disease but still report long-term effects from the infection or common clinical symptoms that last much longer than expected [14]
Summary
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), that was first reported in Wuhan at the end of December 2019 [1, 2]. Patients with COVID-19 may present with a wide range of clinical manifestations, including asymptomatic infection, fatigue, dyspnea, myalgia, mild upper respiratory illness, life-threatening severe viral pneumonia, or death. A significant number of COVID-19 patients continue to experience symptoms and complications for several months “Long-COVID” After Hospital Discharge after recovery from acute disease. This clinical manifestation has been termed “long COVID,” “chronic COVID-19,” or “postacute COVID-19 syndrome” in the scientific literature because there is no consensus on the terminology [4,5,6].
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