Post-COVID syndrome: prevalence, course forms, diagnostic aspects

Аннотация

Relevance of the topic. Post-COVID syndrome, also known as long COVID, refers to symptoms that persist for more than three weeks after a COVID-19 diagnosis. We reviewed the current evidence on post-COVID syndrome, focusing on its clinical manifestations and addressing the challenges of its management in primary care. The incidence of post-COVID syndrome is estimated at 10-35%, while in hospitalized patients it can be as high as 85%. Fatigue is the most common symptom, reported in 17.5% to 72% of post-COVID cases, followed by residual dyspnea at 10% to 40%. Mental problems, chest pain, olfactory and gustatory dysfunction may be observed in 26, 22 and 11% of patients, respectively. More than a third of patients with post-COVID syndrome have comorbidities, the most common of which are hypertension and diabetes. Apart from the long duration of symptoms, the sparse published data indicate that most patients with post-coronavirus syndrome have a good prognosis without any further complications or deaths. Given the clinical spectrum of patients with post-COVID syndrome, most will be managed by primary care providers in combination with preexisting or new comorbidities, which in turn may increase the burden of COVID-19 in primary care. In conclusion, in approximately 10% of patients with COVID-19, symptoms may persist for more than three weeks, meeting the criteria for post-COVID syndrome. Primary care providers play a key role in the management of patients with postcoronavirus syndrome.