Post-COVID syndrome is increasingly recognized as a new clinical entity in the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Symptoms persisting for more than three weeks after the diagnosis of COVID-19 characterize the post-COVID syndrome. Its incidence ranges from 10% to 35%, however, rates as high as 85% have been reported among patients with a history of hospitalization. Currently, there is no consensus on the classification of post-COVID syndrome. We reviewed the published information on post-COVID syndrome, putting emphasis on its pathogenesis. The pathogenesis of post-COVID syndrome is multi-factorial and more than one mechanism may be implicated in several clinical manifestations. Prolonged inflammation has a key role in its pathogenesis and may account for some neurological complications, cognitive dysfunction, and several other symptoms. A multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults (MIS-A) of all ages has been also described recently, similarly to multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). The post-infectious inflammatory pathogenetic mechanism of MIS-A is supported by the fact that its diagnosis is established through serology in up to one third of cases. Other pathogenetic mechanisms that are implicated in post-COVID syndrome include immune-mediated vascular dysfunction, thromboembolism, and nervous system dysfunction. Although the current data are indicating that the overwhelming majority of patients with post-COVID syndrome have a good prognosis, registries to actively follow them are needed in order to define the full clinical spectrum and its long-term outcome. A consensus-based classification of post-COVID syndrome is essential to guide clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic management. Further research is also imperative to elucidate the pathogenesis of post-COVID syndrome.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Inflammation, Pathogenesis, complications, long term, post-infectious, 【초록키워드】 Prognosis, Hospitalization, serology, SARS-COV-2 infection, children, diagnostic, Diagnosis, outcome, Symptoms, MIS-C, clinical manifestations, management, therapeutic, Research, Patient, Thromboembolism, nervous system, age, Neurological complications, vascular dysfunction, incidence, information, Other, mechanism, Immune-mediated, Prolonged, Inflammatory, dysfunction, cognitive, Consensus, syndrome, described, include, reported, supported, majority, imperative, to define, implicated, increasingly, diagnosis of COVID-19, 【제목키워드】 insight,