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. 2021 Jul-Aug;15(4):102159.
doi: 10.1016/j.dsx.2021.05.032. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

Proposed integrative model for post-COVID symptoms

César Fernández-de-Las-Peñas  1 , Lidiane L Florencio  2 , Víctor Gómez-Mayordomo  3 , María L Cuadrado  4 , Domingo Palacios-Ceña  2 , Arkiath Veettil Raveendran  5
Affiliations

Proposed integrative model for post-COVID symptoms

César Fernández-de-Las-Peñas et al. Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2021 Jul-Aug.

Abstract

Background and aims: To propose an integrative model for post-COVID symptoms by considering the absence/presence of previous symptomatology.

Methods: We searched different databases for original articles and reviews on post-COVID symptoms.

Results: The first consideration is to define which symptoms are of "new-onset" (symptoms never experienced by a patient before COVID-19 and experienced the first time after) and which symptoms are "exacerbated" (symptoms experienced by a patient prior to COVID-19 but aggravated later) after infection. The second consideration includes defining "persistent" (symptoms experienced at the acute phase and continuing after without remission period) and "delayed-onset" (symptoms not experienced at the acute phase of the infection but appearing after a "latency period"). This model integrates predisposing individual factors, biological factors associated to the severity of disease, hospitalization/treatment factors, and outbreak surrounding factors which may promote post-COVID.

Conclusion: Since current literature on post-COVID is heterogeneous, this integrative model could help to a better characterization of long-COVID.

Keywords: COVID-19; Classification; Definition; Long COVID; Persistent; Symptoms.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest No conflict of interest is declared by the authors.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Proposed Integrative Model for Post-COVID Symptoms. The model determines three steps: pre-COVID status; acute-COVID status and post-COVID status. It also integrates the presence of individual factors, biological COVID-associated factors, hospitalization factors and COVID-19 outbreak surrounding factors.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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