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Publications

Journal Article Review Epublish 50 citations

PubMed: 35455008 DOI: 10.3390/life12040517

Post-COVID-19 Condition: Where Are We Now?

Life (Basel) 12(4)

Authors: Paula Boaventura, Sofia Macedo, Filipa Ribeiro, Sónia Jaconiano, Paula Soares

Affiliations

  • Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Rua Júlio Amaral de Carvalho 45, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
  • Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), University of Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
  • Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP), 4200-319 Porto, Portugal.
  • School of Architecture, Art and Design (EAAD), University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal.

Abstract

COVID-19 is currently considered a systemic infection involving multiple systems and causing chronic complications. Compared to other post-viral fatigue syndromes, these complications are wider and more intense. The most frequent symptoms are profound fatigue, dyspnea, sleep difficulties, anxiety or depression, reduced lung capacity, memory/cognitive impairment, and hyposmia/anosmia. Risk factors for this condition are severity of illness, more than five symptoms in the first week of the disease, female sex, older age, the presence of comorbidities, and a weak anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody response. Different lines of research have attempted to explain these protracted symptoms; chronic persistent inflammation, autonomic nervous system disruption, hypometabolism, and autoimmunity may play a role. Due to thyroid high ACE expression, the key molecular complex SARS-CoV-2 uses to infect the host cells, thyroid may be a target for the coronavirus infection. Thyroid dysfunction after SARS-CoV-2 infection may be a combination of numerous mechanisms, and its role in long-COVID manifestations is not yet established. The proposed mechanisms are a direct effect of SARS-CoV-2 on target cells, an indirect effect of systemic inflammatory immune response, and a dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis leading to decreased serum TSH. Only a few studies have reported the thyroid gland status in the post-COVID-19 condition. The presence of post-COVID symptoms deserves recognition of COVID-19 as a cause of post-viral fatigue syndrome. It is important to recognize the affected individuals at an early stage so we can offer them the most adequate treatments, helping them thrive through the uncertainty of their condition.

MeSH

Cells, Thyroid Gland, Signs And Symptoms, Covid-19, Fatigue, Infections

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