Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome and its prolonged effects: An updated systematic review
Talal Almas, Jahanzeb Malik, Abdulla K. Alsubai, Syed Muhammad Jawad Zaidi, Raafe Iqbal, Kashif Kamran Khan, Muhammad Ali, Uzma Ishaq, Majid Alsufyani, Sebastian Hadeed, Reema Alsufyani, Reema Ahmed, Tushar Thakur, Helen Huang, Meetty Antony, Ishan Antony, Anhad Bhullar, Farida Kotait, Lubabah Al-Ani
Abstract
Objective: This systematic review aimed at estimating the prevalence of post-acute COVID-19 symptoms in view of published literature that studied prolonged clinical manifestations after recovery from acute COVID-19 infection. Methods: Relevant databases were searched for extraction of articles. For data synthesis, based on the distribution of quantitative variables, they were expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD) or median and interquartile range (IQR). Qualitative variables were presented as frequency (n) and percentages (%). Results: Twenty-one articles qualified for the final analysis. The most common persistent clinical manifestations were fatigue (54.11%), dyspnea (24.38%), alopecia (23.21%), hyperhidrosis (23.6%), insomnia (25.98%), anxiety (17.29%), and arthralgia (16.35%). In addition to these symptoms, new-onset hypertension, diabetes, neuropsychiatric disorders, and bladder incontinence were also reported. Conclusion: Clinical features of post-acute COVID-19 infection can manifest even after 60 days of initial infection. Multidisciplinary care along with regular follow-up must be provided to such patients.