Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, a multitude of reports has emerged regarding a post-infection syndrome involving multiple organ systems. However, despite the frequent news articles and social media posts regarding this “Long COVID” syndrome, the specific organ systems, symptoms, and pathogenesis of this phenomenon remains poorly understood. Establishment of a comprehensive and specific definition of Long COVID may help clarify what individuals and healthcare providers might look for in patients following recovery from COVID-19.
According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), a UK-based organization that develops national guidelines and provides advice to the public regarding healthcare, Long COVID is defined as the “signs and symptoms that develop during/after the COVID-19 infection persisting for more than 4 weeks and could not be explained by another diagnosis.” These signs and symptoms may include continuing shortness of breath, cognitive impairment or brain fog, fatigue, sleep difficulty, and psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety and depression.
While the SARS-CoV-2 virus is known to infect a variety of organ systems in the body, the mechanism behind the persistence of symptoms following COVID-19 infection is unclear. One of the leading theories is that the inflammation caused by the virus may cause immune dysregulation or overactivation, leading to prolonged symptom duration. Another compelling hypotheses is that autoantibodies created against the body’s own proteins in addition to other inflammatory factors may drive symptoms both during infection and afterwards.
Long COVID does not appear to correlate with disease severity; some individuals with severe disease recover fully, while some with mild disease continue to experience symptoms long after infection resolution. In addition, further research will be needed to discover the specific pathogenesis of Long COVID and what patients and healthcare workers might expect for Long COVID duration. A consensus on treatment of Long COVID has not yet been reached and it may be that the best way to prevent Long COVID at this time is prevention of COVID-19 infection through vaccination.
Pamela is a current third-year medical student at the University of Texas Medical Brach in Galveston. She is interested in Infectious Disease and hopes to pursue this passion in the future.
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