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Main respiratory sequelae of Covid-19: an exploratory review

Abstract:

Covid-19 is an infectious disease that has caused significant rates of morbidity and mortality in the world population, scientific evidence has sought to describe the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2. In the initial phase, an acute inflammatory process occurs that begins to be accentuated in the respiratory tract and affects the lungs first and foremost; which, subsequently, can trigger respiratory dysfunctions that persist even after medical discharge, which is considered a persistent symptom. In accordance with the methodology of the exploratory systematic review, this research was carried out whose purpose was focused on finding bibliographic references that support and identify the main respiratory sequelae of Covid-19; For this, a search of the literature was carried out through the PubMed, Scielo, Medline, Web of Science and Scopus databases. The bibliographic investigation was carried out in January 2022, 70 documents were detected, which were subjected to quality evaluation. 38 observational studies, 3 review articles and 1 meta-analysis were included. So far, no consensus has been reached regarding the most important sequela in the post-COVID respiratory field, fundamentally the following stand out: fatigue, dyspnea, chest pain and cough. In addition, a considerable percentage of patients persist with residual pulmonary function abnormalities, suggestive of pulmonary fibrosis, requiring medical assistance even after hospital discharge. It is recommended to continue with research aimed at assessing the sequelae of Covid-19, to obtain clear foundations related to post-infection respiratory functional capacity.