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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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| author | Sun O. Park Neha Nanda |
| author_facet | Sun O. Park Neha Nanda |
| author_sort | Sun O. Park |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <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. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c2417cdef9bf4e898c2c6646be751c89 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2036-7449 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Infectious Disease Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-c2417cdef9bf4e898c2c6646be751c892025-08-20T03:27:26ZengMDPI AGInfectious Disease Reports2036-74492025-05-011735610.3390/idr17030056Long COVID: A Systematic Review of Preventive StrategiesSun O. Park0Neha Nanda1Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USADivision of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA<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.https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7449/17/3/56long COVIDpost-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC)post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS)post-COVID-19 conditions (PCCs)COVID-19prevention |
| spellingShingle | Sun O. Park Neha Nanda Long COVID: A Systematic Review of Preventive Strategies Infectious Disease Reports long COVID post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS) post-COVID-19 conditions (PCCs) COVID-19 prevention |
| title | Long COVID: A Systematic Review of Preventive Strategies |
| title_full | Long COVID: A Systematic Review of Preventive Strategies |
| title_fullStr | Long COVID: A Systematic Review of Preventive Strategies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Long COVID: A Systematic Review of Preventive Strategies |
| title_short | Long COVID: A Systematic Review of Preventive Strategies |
| title_sort | long covid a systematic review of preventive strategies |
| topic | long COVID post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS) post-COVID-19 conditions (PCCs) COVID-19 prevention |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7449/17/3/56 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sunopark longcovidasystematicreviewofpreventivestrategies AT nehananda longcovidasystematicreviewofpreventivestrategies |