Huerne K, Filion KB, Grad R, Ernst P, Gershon AS, Eisenberg MJ, et al.
American journal of medicine open. Date of publication 2023 Jun 1;volume 9():100033.
1. Am J Med Open. 2023 Jun;9:100033. doi: 10.1016/j.ajmo.2023.100033. Epub 2023
Jan 18.
Epidemiological and clinical perspectives of long COVID syndrome.
Huerne K(1)(2)(3), Filion KB(1)(4)(3), Grad R(1)(3)(5), Ernst P(1)(3), Gershon
AS(6), Eisenberg MJ(1)(4)(7).
Author information:
(1)Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal,
QC, Canada.
(2)Department of Medicine, Division of Experimental Medicine, and Biomedical
Ethics Unit, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
(3)Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC,
Canada.
(4)Departments of Medicine and of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational
Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
(5)Department Family Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
(6)Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Department of Medicine, Faculty of
Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
(7)Division of Cardiology, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal,
QC, Canada.
Long COVID, or post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, is characterized by multi-organ
symptoms lasting 2+ months after initial COVID-19 virus infection. This review
presents the current state of evidence for long COVID syndrome, including the
global public health context, incidence, prevalence, cardiopulmonary sequelae,
physical and mental symptoms, recovery time, prognosis, risk factors,
rehospitalization rates, and the impact of vaccination on long COVID outcomes.
Results are presented by clinically relevant subgroups. Overall, 10-35% of COVID
survivors develop long COVID, with common symptoms including fatigue, dyspnea,
chest pain, cough, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, memory
loss, and difficulty concentrating. Delineating these issues will be crucial to
inform appropriate post-pandemic health policy and protect the health of
COVID-19 survivors, including potentially vulnerable or underrepresented groups.
Directed to policymakers, health practitioners, and the general public, we
provide recommendations and suggest avenues for future research with the larger
goal of reducing harms associated with long COVID syndrome.
© 2023 The Author(s).
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajmo.2023.100033
PMCID: PMC9846887
PMID: 36685609
Conflict of interest statement: We, the undersigned, state there are no
conflicts of interest for our manuscript titled “Epidemiological and Clinical
Perspectives of Long COVID Syndrome”.
