The term “Post-COVID Conditions” is an umbrella term for the wide range of physical and mental health consequences experienced by some patients that are present four or more weeks after SARS-CoV-2 infection, including by patients who had initial mild or asymptomatic acute infection.These consequences include both general complications of prolonged illness as well as hospitalization and post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), which are more specific to effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The frequency of long-term symptoms and conditions following SARS-CoV-2 infection varies widely in the literature, ranging from 5% to 80%.
Multiple possible onset patterns for post-COVID conditions have been identified that further exemplify their heterogeneity, including, but not limited to:
- persistent symptoms and conditions that begin at the time of acute COVID-19 illness;
- new-onset late sequelae following asymptomatic disease or a period of acute symptom relief or remission; or
- an evolution of symptoms and conditions that include some persistent symptoms (e.g., shortness of breath) with the addition of new symptoms or conditions over time (e.g., cognitive difficulties).
Some presentations may share similarities with other post-viral syndromes, such as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), dysautonomia (e.g., postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome [POTS]), or mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS).
Types of Post-COVID Condition
Long COVID
Long COVID is a range of symptoms that can last weeks or months after first being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 or can appear weeks after infection. Long COVID can happen to anyone who has had COVID-19, even if the illness was mild, or they had no symptoms. People with long COVID report experiencing different combinations of the following symptoms:
Tiredness or fatigue
Difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”)
Headache
Loss of smell or taste
Dizziness on standing
Fast-beating or pounding heart (also known as heart palpitations)
Chest pain
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Cough
Joint or muscle pain
Depression or anxiety
Fever
Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental activities
Multiorgan Effects of COVID-19
Multiorgan effects can affect most, if not all, body systems including heart, lung, kidney, skin, and brain functions.
Multiorgan effects can also include conditions that occur after COVID-19, like multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) and autoimmune conditions. MIS is a condition where different body parts can become swollen.
Autoimmune conditions happen when your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake, causing painful swelling in the affected parts of the body.
It is unknown how long multiorgan system effects might last and whether the effects could lead to chronic health conditions.
Effects of COVID-19 Treatment or Hospitalization
Post-COVID conditions also can include the longer-term effects of COVID-19 treatment or hospitalization. Some of these longer-term effects are similar to those related to hospitalization for other respiratory infections or other conditions.
Effects of COVID-19 treatment and hospitalization can also include post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), which refers to health effects that remain after a critical illness. These effects can include severe weakness and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD involves long-term reactions to a very stressful event.
Assessment and Testing
Before ordering laboratory testing for post-COVID conditions, the goals of testing should be clear to the healthcare professional and to the patient. Laboratory testing should be guided by the patient history, physical examination, and clinical findings.
Medical Management
For most patients, the goal of medical management of post-COVID conditions is to optimize function and quality of life.
Ideally, healthcare professionals, in consultation with the appropriate specialists, should develop a comprehensive management plan based on their patients’ presenting symptoms, underlying medical and psychiatric conditions, personal and social situations, and their treatment goals.
Many post-COVID conditions can be improved through already established symptom management approaches (e.g., breathing exercises to improve symptoms of dyspnea). Creating a comprehensive rehabilitation plan may be helpful for some patients and might include physical and occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, vocational therapy, as well as neurologic rehabilitation for cognitive symptoms.
Optimizing management of underlying medical conditions might include counseling on lifestyle components such as nutrition, sleep, and stress reduction (e.g., meditation).
FDA-approved or over the counter medications as well as vitamin or electrolyte supplements may be helpful for indicated illnesses (e.g., headache, anxiety) or documented deficiencies (e.g., vitamin deficiency) after carefully weighing the benefits and risks of pharmaceutical interventions.
The information might change as we go on learning about COVID-19. This blog is just replicated to circulate informations on POST COVID.All the materials has been copied from CDC. For the detailed information,kindly visit the link in the source.
Source:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/clinical-care/post-covid-index.html
#POSTCOVID #COVID19 #LONGCOVID #CDC #WHO #MISC #SARSCoV2
Dr.Yagya Prasad Timalsina 