Persistence of Symptoms After Discharge of Patients Hospitalized Due to COVID-19

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.

Global Trends and Research Hotspots in Long COVID: A Bibliometric Analysis

“…The symptoms of long COVID were varied. First, there were some physical symptoms: fatigue [ 9 , 12 , 35 ], dyspnea [ 35 , 36 ], cough [ 35 , 36 ], loss of taste or smell [ 12 ], loss hair [ 9 ], fever [ 35 , 37 ], sleep disorder [ 38 ], joint pain [ 39 , 40 ], headache [ 41 ], spinal pain [ 42 ], muscle pain [ 39 , 43 ], diarrhea [ 44 ], and organ (heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, pancreas, and spleen) damage [ 45 ]. Second, there were some mental symptoms: insomnia, delirium, fear, and depression [ 46 , 47 ].…”

Cytokine Profiles Associated With Acute COVID-19 and Long COVID-19 Syndrome

“…Therefore, identification of a molecular profile in relation to long COVID-19 still needs to be further investigated. Even though several studies have evaluated the main symptoms of long COVID-19 ( Abdallah et al., 2021 ; Augustin et al., 2021 ; Darley et al., 2021 ; Fernández-de-Las-Peñas et al., 2021 ; Logue et al., 2021 ; Wu et al., 2021 ; Huang et al, 2021a ; Huang et al., 2021b ), none of them investigated the association of clinical manifestations with the immunoinflammatory profile of cytokines. Our study showed, for the first time, evidence for the existence of a long COVID-19-associated cytokine profile in a cohort of the Brazilian Amazon region.…”

The Provision of Dental Care to COVID-19 Survivors: A Concise Review

“…They need close monitoring, even after discharge, as the ongoing systemic inflammation may lead to ventricular dysfunction and malignant arrythmia 46 . Persistent symptoms may include hypotension, tachycardia, palpitations, dyspnoea and arrhythmias 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , with some requiring hospital readmission 51 . There are increased risks of incident cardiovascular disease, such as cerebrovascular disorders (stroke/transient ischaemic attacks), dysrhythmia (atrial fibrillation/sinus tachycardia), ischaemic heart disease (acute coronary disease/myocardial infarction/angina), thromboembolic disease (pulmonary embolism/deep vein thrombosis), heart failure, pericarditis, myocarditis, cardiac arrest and cardiogenic shock 49 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 .…”