Introduction:
The SARS-CoV-2 virus, a member of the coronavirus family, has been responsible for the Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic with an acute phase causing pneumonia and pulmonary disorders, but it has been shown to extrapulmonary manifestations including cardiovascular and neurological diseases. Moreover, residual symptoms have been reported to persist past the acute phase. In a cross-sectional study of SARS-CoV-2 positive patients, at 48 days post-discharge the most common persistent symptoms were fatigue, difficulty breathing, and psychological distress.
In a cohort study of 1,733 COVID-19 patients from Wuhan, China, patients reported persistence of fatigue, muscle weakness, sleeping difficulties, palpitations, anxiety, or depression at 6 months after initial onset.
Numerous other studies now indicate the presence of persistent symptoms following COVID-19 infection, with over 200 symptoms reported. This syndrome has been coined as the Post-Acute SARS-CoV-2 Syndrome (PASC) and has been defined as the persistence of symptoms or development of new symptoms after the time of infection, which can include fatigue, brain fog, palpitations, and a plethora of other manifestations.
Source: Justin Haloot, DO, MS, MS, Ratna Bhavaraju-Sanka, MD, Jayasree Pillarisetti, MD Msc, Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, MD. Autonomic Dysfunction related to Post-Acute SARS-CoV-2 Syndrome. Physical Medicine and Rehabiliation Clinics. Published: April 18, 2023. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmr.2023.04.003 (Full text)