Post-COVID syndrome: Incidence, clinical spectrum, and challenges for primary healthcare professionals, 2021, Pavli et al

[Andy]

Post-COVID syndrome also known as long COVID refers to symptoms persisting for more than three weeks after the diagnosis of COVID-19. We reviewed the current evidence on post-COVID syndrome, focusing on its clinical manifestations and addressing the challenges for its management in primary healthcare. The incidence of post-COVID syndrome is estimated at 10–35%, while for hospitalized patients it may reach 85%.

Fatigue is the most common symptom reported in 17.5–72% of post-COVID cases, followed by residual dyspnea with an incidence ranging from 10–40%. Mental problems, chest pain, and olfactory and gustatory dysfunction may affect up to 26%, 22% and 11% of patients, respectively. More than one third of patients with post-COVID syndrome have pre-existing comorbidities, hypertension and diabetes mellitus being the most common. Beyond the prolonged duration of symptoms, the scarce published data indicate that most patients with post-COVID syndrome have a good prognosis with no further complications or fatal outcomes reported.

Given the clinical spectrum of patients with post-COVID syndrome, most of them will be managed by primary healthcare professionals, in conjunction with pre-existing or new co-morbidities, which, in turn, may increase the burden of COVID-19 on primary healthcare.

In conclusion approximately 10% of patients with COVID-19 may have symptoms persisting beyond three weeks, fulfilling the criteria of post-COVID syndrome. Primary healthcare professionals have a key role in the management of patients with post-COVID syndrome. Research is needed to elucidate the pathogenesis, clinical spectrum, and prognosis of post-COVID syndrome.

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Open access, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0188440921000813

 

[rvallee]

most of them will be managed by primary healthcare professionals

Well they aren't. Unless gaslighting counts as being managed, which it does to some. Making assumptions in every day life makes people asses out of themselves but in scientific literature it's unacceptable. And here they just pass through without resistance.

I mean it's basically been one of the universals out of this, that primary care has completely failed these patients, leaving them to fend for themselves. All medical care, to be precise, but especially primary care, being the first point of contact (and dismissal). And here it's just assumed that they must be. Somehow. No need to check. Who needs peer reviews and editors these days anyway? Surely everyone who doesn't die of Covid should be assumed to be fully recovered. No need to check either. Why bother checking anything at all?