Blessen C. Eapen, MD, Consulting Editor
The COVID-19 global pandemic is caused by an infectious agent transmitted by the highly contagious severe acute respiratory corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and has infected over 700 million people worldwide and over 100 million individuals in the United States.
The COVID-19 infection can present with a variety of symptoms, with the most reported symptoms being fatigue, fever, cough, shortness of breath, and symptoms exacerbated by mental and physical exertion. In addition, the COVID-19 infection can also affect multiple organ systems and present with an array of symptoms, such as, neurologic symptoms (eg, concentrating, headaches, insomnia, taste changes), cardiac (eg, tachycardia, chest pain), gastrointestinal issues, vascular, mental health (eg, depression, anxiety), and pain (eg, joint pain, musculoskeletal pain, neuropathic pain). While most cases of COVID-19 infection are typically mild and recover within the first several weeks, there are some cases that may present with severe illness, requiring acute hospitalization and subsequent inpatient acute rehabilitation.
In addition, there is a subset of individuals that may continue to have symptoms beyond the typical recovery period and can experience long-lasting effects of their infection, which is commonly referred to as Long-Covid or Post-Covid Condition. While there are currently no comprehensive clinical practice guidelines for the rehabilitation management of this evolving disease process, we lean heavily on our previous experiences, as we continue to grow and refine our treatment paradigms, to meet the needs of this unique population. The current mainstay of treatment includes a physiatrist-led, multidisciplinary team approach to the improving physical, cognitive, emotional, and overall well-being of individuals with Long-Covid.
We hope this timely special issue provides guidance on the management of post-COVID-19 sequalae and provides insight into current rehabilitation programming, while highlighting the health care disparities related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We want to thank Dr Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez and colleagues for leading this special issue and for sharing their valuable experience and expertise with the physical medicine and rehabilitation community!