Increasing evidence suggests a strong association between the COVID-19 infection and autoimmunity. A term “post-acute COVID-19 syndrome” has been coined for the persistence of symptoms or development of sequelae beyond 4 weeks from the onset of acute symptoms of COVID-19. Recent meta-analysis revealed that 80% of the patients that were infected with SARS-CoV-2 developed one or more long-term symptoms. The neuropsychiatric, rheumatic, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and endocrine manifestations were identified. It was shown that prevalence of the most symptoms have even risen in 7-9 months compared to the early recovery period. Potential mechanistic links contributing to the pathophysiology of postacute COVID-19 include: (1) direct viral invasion or persistence; (2) immunologic aberrations and inflammatory damage in outcome of acute infection; and (3) expected sequelae of post-critical illness. However, most cases of post-COVID-19 syndrome developed after non-severe COVID-19. While there is no evidence to put any single mechanism as common one for different post-COVID-19 complications, it can be suggested that autoantibodies, which are detected during acute COVID-19 can persist and play a role in the development of post-COVID-19 manifestations. The appearance and progression of symptoms for some time after resolution of acute COVID-19 favors this hypothesis. The prevalence of several pathogenic autoantibodies in acute COVID-19 is comparable to that in autoimmune diseases. Some autoantibodies persist in such patients at least for seven months. We established a patient registry of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome which includes 81 cases by April, 2021. 77,8% of these patients are women. The mean age of patients is 44 years old (age range 11–77 years). 79% of patients have not been hospitalized during acute infection (i.e. have developed post-acute COVID-19 syndrome following mild version of acute COVID-19). 74% of patients reported fatigue/extreme tiredness among their post-COVID symptoms. While 68% of patients have reported the symptoms of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome immediately after the acute phase of infection, 38% experienced temporary improvement after acute COVID-19 before the manifestation of post-acute COVID-19 signs. The enrollment of patients and the analysis of the registry is continuing. Our current research project on the post-acute-COVID-19 syndrome consist of two phases. The first phase can be passed online by the participants. It includes several questionnaires, online consultation, computer-based battery of neuropsychological tests and assessment of physical status based on some functional markers related to the pulmonary and cardiovascular system. The second phase can be conducted at outpatient clinic, using several methods to assess status of small nerve fibers, microcirculation, autoimmunity profile, autonomic nervous system function, peripheral hearing, and central auditory processing. The growing necessity in specialized center for the follow-up, dynamic observation and rehabilitation of post-COVID patientsis substantiated (intermingled with its translational biomedical research functions).

Translated title of the contributionСИНДРОМ ПОСТКОВИДНЫХ НАРУШЕНИЙ И ЕГО ИММУНОПАТОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ МЕХАНИЗМЫ. РОЛЬ АУТОИММУНИТЕТА
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)7-11
JournalРОССИЙСКИЕ БИОМЕДИЦИНСКИЕ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ
Volume6
Issue number3
StatePublished - 30 Sep 2021

    Scopus subject areas

  • Medicine(all)

ID: 89156012