Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome and its prolonged effects: An updated systematic review

Abstract

Abstract Objective This systematic review aimed at estimating the demographics, clinical characteristics, and 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 After protocol setting, relevant articles were searched on various databases including PubMed, Medline, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Embase, and Web of Sciences using MeSH keywords. Results Out of the 153 articles reviewed, 21 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.