Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC): Association with Inflammation and Autoimmunity

Abstract

It has become increasingly evident that a high percentage of patients that recover from acute COVID-19 infection continue to suffer from a variety of persistent symptoms even months after viral clearance, the most common ones being fatigue, dyspnea, anosmia, dysgeusia, cognitive dysfunction, and psychological problems, including anxiety and depression. This syndrome, known as post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), can severely affect quality of life and represents an important health care concern. The exact causes for the symptoms observed in patients with PASC remain to be adequately characterized, but are likely to be associated with multiple factors, including residual disease and/or inflammation, organ damage, effects of hospitalization and/or prolonged ventilation, as well as effects of social isolation and stress. This mini-review discusses evidence that may link both inflammatory and auto-immune processes in the pathophysiology of PASC.