Symptoms, complications and management of long COVID: a review

Olalekan Lee Aiyegbusi, Sarah E Hughes, Grace Turner, Samantha Cruz Rivera, Christel McMullan, Joht Singh Chandan, Shamil Haroon, Gary Price, Elin Haf Davies, Krishnarajah Nirantharakumar, Elizabeth Sapey, Melanie J Calvert, TLC Study Group, Olalekan Lee Aiyegbusi, Sarah E Hughes, Grace Turner, Samantha Cruz Rivera, Christel McMullan, Joht Singh Chandan, Shamil Haroon, Gary Price, Elin Haf Davies, Krishnarajah Nirantharakumar, Elizabeth Sapey, Melanie J Calvert, TLC Study Group

Abstract

Globally, there are now over 160 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 3 million deaths. While the majority of infected individuals recover, a significant proportion continue to experience symptoms and complications after their acute illness. Patients with 'long COVID' experience a wide range of physical and mental/psychological symptoms. Pooled prevalence data showed the 10 most prevalent reported symptoms were fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle pain, joint pain, headache, cough, chest pain, altered smell, altered taste and diarrhoea. Other common symptoms were cognitive impairment, memory loss, anxiety and sleep disorders. Beyond symptoms and complications, people with long COVID often reported impaired quality of life, mental health and employment issues. These individuals may require multidisciplinary care involving the long-term monitoring of symptoms, to identify potential complications, physical rehabilitation, mental health and social services support. Resilient healthcare systems are needed to ensure efficient and effective responses to future health challenges.

Keywords: COVID-19; epidemiology; health service research; infectious diseases; long COVID; persistent COVID-19 symptoms; post-COVID-19 syndrome; public health; respiratory medicine.

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations:

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Depiction of the clinical course of long COVID.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Pooled estimates for the 10 most common symptoms in patients with long COVID-19.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Pooled estimate of the prevalence of fatigue in patients with long COVID-19.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Pooled estimate of the prevalence of dyspnoea in patients with long COVID-19.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Pooled estimate of the prevalence of muscle pain in patients with long COVID-19.

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