Long COVID: A Systematic Review of Preventive Strategies
<b>Background:</b> Since the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in December 2019, long COVID (LC) has become a significant global health burden. While knowledge about LC is accumulating, studies on its prevention are still lacking. <b>Methods:...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Infectious Disease Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7449/17/3/56 |
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| Summary: | <b>Background:</b> Since the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in December 2019, long COVID (LC) has become a significant global health burden. While knowledge about LC is accumulating, studies on its prevention are still lacking. <b>Methods:</b> We conducted a systematic review following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines to investigate prevention options for LC. We identified fifteen articles on vaccines, seven on antivirals, and six on other interventions after searching for articles in the PubMed/MEDLINE database using the MeSH terms. <b>Results:</b> Most vaccine-related studies demonstrated a protective effect of COVID-19 vaccines against developing LC. Our review found an equivocal effect of antivirals, while metformin had a protective effect in outpatients and corticosteroids were protective in hospitalized patients against LC. Conversely, COVID-19 convalescent plasma and multiple micronutrient supplement did not confer any protection against LC. <b>Conclusions:</b> COVID-19 vaccination is vital as it not only prevents COVID-19 but also reduces the severity of illness and may help prevent LC. Further studies are warranted to shed light on preventive strategies for long COVID. |
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| ISSN: | 2036-7449 |