It has been more than two years since the global pandemic of the new coronavirus COVID-19, and more and more people continue to suffer from various long-term symptoms after recovering from the acute phase of the new crown infection.
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, an estimated 7.7 million to 23 million people in the United States have been affected by COVID-19 sequelae, and about 1 million people have been removed from work as a result[1].
The medical community refers to this condition as “Sequelae of COVID-19”, also known as “Long COVID” (Long COVID), “Sequelae of Acute SARS-CoV-2 Infection” (PASC), “Acute COVID-19″ -19 Sequelae”, “Chronic COVID-19”, “Post-COVID Syndrome”, etc.
These symptoms are different from the acute symptoms of new crown infection, which persist after recovery and turn negative for more than 4 weeks, and cannot be treated with other Diagnosis Interpretation.
This table is organized by Uptodate. Because the COVID-19 pandemic is short-lived, the exact mechanism is unclear, nor how long these symptoms will ultimately last. Underlying diseases and new crown infection requiring hospitalization may be risk factors, but even those with mild or even asymptomatic infections will have new crown sequelae.
Current hypotheses include organ damage caused by COVID-19, microthrombosis, activation of autoimmunity, immune system disorders, and reactivation of previously infected viruses (such as EB virus).
Therefore, in the future, attention should not only be paid to the death, reduction of life expectancy and attrition caused by Covid-19, but also to the negative impact on society caused by the reduction in the quality of healthy life.
Reference
^Science & Tech Spotlight: Long COVID https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-105666