Long COVID: An approach to clinical assessment and management in primary care

Long COVID is an emerging public health threat, following swiftly behind the surges of acute infection over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is estimated that there are already approximately 100 million people suffering from Long COVID globally, 0.5 million of whom are South African, and for...

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Main Authors: Rubeshan Perumal, Letitia Shunmugam, Kogieleum Naidoo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AOSIS 2023-06-01
Series:South African Family Practice
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Online Access:https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5751
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author Rubeshan Perumal
Letitia Shunmugam
Kogieleum Naidoo
author_facet Rubeshan Perumal
Letitia Shunmugam
Kogieleum Naidoo
author_sort Rubeshan Perumal
collection DOAJ
description Long COVID is an emerging public health threat, following swiftly behind the surges of acute infection over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is estimated that there are already approximately 100 million people suffering from Long COVID globally, 0.5 million of whom are South African, and for whom our incomplete understanding of the condition has forestalled appropriate diagnosis and clinical care. There are several leading postulates for the complex, multi-mechanistic pathogenesis of Long COVID. Patients with Long COVID may present with a diversity of clinical phenotypes, often with significant overlap, which may exhibit temporal heterogeneity and evolution. Post-acute care follow-up, targeted screening, diagnosis, a broad initial assessment and more directed subsequent assessments are necessary at the primary care level. Symptomatic treatment, self-management and rehabilitation are the mainstays of clinical care for Long COVID. However, evidence-based pharmacological interventions for the prevention and treatment of Long COVID are beginning to emerge. This article presents a rational approach for assessing and managing patients with Long COVID in the primary care setting.
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spelling doaj-art-93584f4dc7bd4cbc9a855351796ad56f2025-08-20T03:06:51ZengAOSISSouth African Family Practice2078-61902078-62042023-06-01651e1e1010.4102/safp.v65i1.57514341Long COVID: An approach to clinical assessment and management in primary careRubeshan Perumal0Letitia Shunmugam1Kogieleum Naidoo2Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa, Faculty of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa; and Department of Pulmonology, Faculty of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, DurbanCentre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa, Faculty of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, DurbanCentre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa, Faculty of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, DurbanLong COVID is an emerging public health threat, following swiftly behind the surges of acute infection over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is estimated that there are already approximately 100 million people suffering from Long COVID globally, 0.5 million of whom are South African, and for whom our incomplete understanding of the condition has forestalled appropriate diagnosis and clinical care. There are several leading postulates for the complex, multi-mechanistic pathogenesis of Long COVID. Patients with Long COVID may present with a diversity of clinical phenotypes, often with significant overlap, which may exhibit temporal heterogeneity and evolution. Post-acute care follow-up, targeted screening, diagnosis, a broad initial assessment and more directed subsequent assessments are necessary at the primary care level. Symptomatic treatment, self-management and rehabilitation are the mainstays of clinical care for Long COVID. However, evidence-based pharmacological interventions for the prevention and treatment of Long COVID are beginning to emerge. This article presents a rational approach for assessing and managing patients with Long COVID in the primary care setting.https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5751long covidlong-haul covidpost-acute sequelae of sars-cov-2covid-19sars-cov-2.
spellingShingle Rubeshan Perumal
Letitia Shunmugam
Kogieleum Naidoo
Long COVID: An approach to clinical assessment and management in primary care
South African Family Practice
long covid
long-haul covid
post-acute sequelae of sars-cov-2
covid-19
sars-cov-2.
title Long COVID: An approach to clinical assessment and management in primary care
title_full Long COVID: An approach to clinical assessment and management in primary care
title_fullStr Long COVID: An approach to clinical assessment and management in primary care
title_full_unstemmed Long COVID: An approach to clinical assessment and management in primary care
title_short Long COVID: An approach to clinical assessment and management in primary care
title_sort long covid an approach to clinical assessment and management in primary care
topic long covid
long-haul covid
post-acute sequelae of sars-cov-2
covid-19
sars-cov-2.
url https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5751
work_keys_str_mv AT rubeshanperumal longcovidanapproachtoclinicalassessmentandmanagementinprimarycare
AT letitiashunmugam longcovidanapproachtoclinicalassessmentandmanagementinprimarycare
AT kogieleumnaidoo longcovidanapproachtoclinicalassessmentandmanagementinprimarycare