대한약국학회

The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by an unprecedented emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) resulted in the substantial morbidity and mortality globally. As the knowledge of novel infectious diseases has evolved, the persistent and prolonged sequelae after acute COVID-19 are increasingly recognized. A subset of patients who have recovered from COVID-19 manifest a broad spectrum of lingering health problems. These long haulers are characterized by the systemic and organ-specific complications lasting more than 4 weeks, such as pain, fatigue, cough, dyspnea, palpitation, arthralgia, cognitive disturbance, and defect in the quality of life. The multiple terms referring to COVID-19 sequelae, such as post-acute COVID-19 and chronic COVID-19, have emerged to represent the plethora of long-lasting heterogeneous symptoms in the specific organ systems regardless of the initial severity of acute COVID-19. Though the underlying pathophysiology of COVID-19 sequelae is not fully understood, it is known to involve the direct organ damage occurred by persistent virus and aberrant immune and inflammatory responses. Here, we aimed to highlight a comprehensive understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of COVID-19 sequelae and its organ-specific consequences based on the current evidence.