Long COVID and Post-Covid Conditions (PCC) in 2025
Abstract
The COVID/SARS-2 pandemic left a lasting impact on healthcare perspectives and the management of chronic illnesses. It has been seen that COVID leaves individuals with a myriad of health issues after infection, an illness known as Long COVID or Post-COVID Conditions (PCC). Long COVID is defined by signs and symptoms that develop four or more weeks after infection. Research suggests three scenarios: (1) Persistent, signs and symptoms that last for weeks, months and years after initial infection, (2) Recurrent, symptoms that come and go, and (3) New, meaning signs and symptoms that were not present in the initial phase of infection. People who experience these various symptoms are known as Covid “long haulers” There is a considerable volume of studies being conducted on Long COVID. A literature review of peer reviewed journal articles from 2021 to the present was done encompassing the fields of cardiopulmonary medicine, dermatology, neurology, and rheumatology. These fields were selected based on high prevalence of signs and symptoms in each respective specialty. Risk factors of Long COVID include severe COVID-19 infection requiring hospitalizations, comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus, asthma, or obesity, and lack of prior vaccination for COVID-19. Articles that stratified the symptoms on the basis of severity found that symptom severity correlated with illness severity. The most common long COVID cardiopulmonary manifestations include arrhythmias, chest pain, and shortness of breath. Dermatological manifestations include chronic urticaria, telogen effluvium (diffuse transient hair loss), chilblains (“COVID toes”), and flare-ups of other common skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, seborrheic dermatitis. Neurologic manifestations consist of issues with concentration and memory loss (“brain fog”), sleep disturbances, headaches, dizziness, tremors, anxiety and depression. Rheumatological symptoms comprised of generalized weakness, chronic fatigue, persistent joint pain and swelling, and myalgia. Knowledge of long-term Post-COVID Conditions (PCC) is essential in assessing COVID “long haulers”.
Start Time
16-4-2025 1:30 PM
End Time
16-4-2025 4:00 PM
Presentation Type
Poster
Presentation Category
Health
Student Type
Undergraduate Student
Faculty Mentor
Wael Shams
Faculty Department
ETSU Infectious Diseases
Long COVID and Post-Covid Conditions (PCC) in 2025
The COVID/SARS-2 pandemic left a lasting impact on healthcare perspectives and the management of chronic illnesses. It has been seen that COVID leaves individuals with a myriad of health issues after infection, an illness known as Long COVID or Post-COVID Conditions (PCC). Long COVID is defined by signs and symptoms that develop four or more weeks after infection. Research suggests three scenarios: (1) Persistent, signs and symptoms that last for weeks, months and years after initial infection, (2) Recurrent, symptoms that come and go, and (3) New, meaning signs and symptoms that were not present in the initial phase of infection. People who experience these various symptoms are known as Covid “long haulers” There is a considerable volume of studies being conducted on Long COVID. A literature review of peer reviewed journal articles from 2021 to the present was done encompassing the fields of cardiopulmonary medicine, dermatology, neurology, and rheumatology. These fields were selected based on high prevalence of signs and symptoms in each respective specialty. Risk factors of Long COVID include severe COVID-19 infection requiring hospitalizations, comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus, asthma, or obesity, and lack of prior vaccination for COVID-19. Articles that stratified the symptoms on the basis of severity found that symptom severity correlated with illness severity. The most common long COVID cardiopulmonary manifestations include arrhythmias, chest pain, and shortness of breath. Dermatological manifestations include chronic urticaria, telogen effluvium (diffuse transient hair loss), chilblains (“COVID toes”), and flare-ups of other common skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, seborrheic dermatitis. Neurologic manifestations consist of issues with concentration and memory loss (“brain fog”), sleep disturbances, headaches, dizziness, tremors, anxiety and depression. Rheumatological symptoms comprised of generalized weakness, chronic fatigue, persistent joint pain and swelling, and myalgia. Knowledge of long-term Post-COVID Conditions (PCC) is essential in assessing COVID “long haulers”.