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Pulmonary Sequelae of COVID-19

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Post COVID-19 Complications and Management

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Abstract

COVID-19 has affected over 280 million people globally, with over 240 million survivors. While the acute effects of COVID-19 are well understood, we are just beginning to understand the long-term effects of COVID-19, particularly as they relate to lung function and recovery. Persistent symptoms have been described as the post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) and include short-term and long-term sequelae. Post-COVID-19 conditions can occur in patients who have had varying severity of illness during their acute infection. These include people who have had mild or even asymptomatic infections [1]. Post-COVID-19 conditions are referred to by a wide range of names, including long COVID, post-acute COVID-19, long-term effects of COVID-19, post-acute COVID syndrome, chronic COVID, long-haul COVID, and late sequelae, among others. Although standardized case definitions are still being developed, post-COVID-19 conditions can be considered a lack of return to a usual state of health following acute COVID-19 illness. The time frame for a post-COVID-19 condition is generally considered as 2–4 weeks following acute COVID-19 infection with incomplete resolution of symptoms or the emergence of new symptoms. Post-acute COVID-19 can be a multisystem condition. Around 10–35% of patients who have acute COVID-19 infection go on to develop long COVID symptoms [2]. The most common non-resolving symptoms are dyspnea, fatigue, malaise, cognitive impairment, cough, chest pain, palpitations, arthralgias, diarrhea, sleep difficulties, fever, light-headedness, continued anosmia, and mood changes. For hospitalized patients, the incidence of the post-COVID-19 syndrome may reach as high as 85% [2]. Post-COVID-19 sequelae can be highly debilitating and seriously impact occupational and social activities. It also will add significantly to the healthcare burden in addition to its consequences on mental health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA

    Zubair Hasan, Abhinav Agrawal & Mangala Narasimhan

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  1. Zubair Hasan
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  2. Abhinav Agrawal
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India

    Anant Mohan

  2. Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India

    Saurabh Mittal

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Hasan, Z., Agrawal, A., Narasimhan, M. (2022). Pulmonary Sequelae of COVID-19. In: Mohan, A., Mittal, S. (eds) Post COVID-19 Complications and Management. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-4407-9_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-4407-9_2

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