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Neurological post‐acute sequelae of SARS‐CoV ‐2 infection
Author(s) -
Takao Masaki,
Ohira Masayuki
Publication year - 2023
Publication title -
psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1819
pISSN - 1323-1316
DOI - 10.1111/pcn.13481
Subject(s) - medicine , depression (economics) , covid-19 , anxiety , coronavirus , disease , pneumonia , intensive care medicine , psychiatry , pediatrics , infectious disease (medical specialty) , economics , macroeconomics
The novel coronavirus disease 19 (COVID‐19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), can have two phases: acute (generally 4 weeks after onset) and chronic (>4 weeks after onset). Both phases include a wide variety of signs and symptoms including neurological and psychiatric symptoms. The signs and symptoms that are considered sequelae of COVID‐19 are termed post‐COVID condition, long COVID‐19, and post‐acute sequelae of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection (PASC). PASC symptoms include fatigue, dyspnea, palpitation, dysosmia, subfever, hypertension, alopecia, sleep problems, loss of concentration, amnesia, numbness, pain, gastrointestinal symptoms, depression, and anxiety. Because the specific pathophysiology of PASC has not yet been clarified, there are no definite criteria of the condition, hence the World Health Organization's definition is quite broad. Consequently, it is difficult to correctly diagnose PASC. Approximately 50% of patients may show at least one PASC symptom up to 12 months after COVID‐19 infection; however, the exact prevalence of PASC has not been determined. Despite extensive research in progress worldwide, there are currently no clear diagnostic methodologies or treatments for PASC. In this review, we discuss the currently available information on PASC and highlight the neurological sequelae of COVID‐19 infection. Furthermore, we provide clinical suggestions for diagnosing and caring for patients with PASC based on our outpatient clinic experience.