Internal and emergency medicine
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Review Meta Analysis
Incidence of long COVID-19 in people with previous SARS-Cov2 infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 120,970 patients.
The long-term consequences of the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) are likely to be frequent but results hitherto are inconclusive. Therefore, we aimed to define the incidence of long-term COVID signs and symptoms as defined by the World Health Organization, using a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. A systematic search in several databases was carried out up to 12 January 2022 for observational studies reporting the cumulative incidence of long COVID signs and symptoms divided according to body systems affected. ⋯ Higher mean age was associated with higher incidence of psychiatric, respiratory, general, digestive and skin conditions. The incidence of long COVID symptomatology was different according to continent and follow-up length. Long COVID is a common condition in patients who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, regardless of the severity of the acute illness, indicating the need for more cohort studies on this topic.
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Review Meta Analysis
Incidence of long COVID-19 in people with previous SARS-Cov2 infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 120,970 patients.
The long-term consequences of the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) are likely to be frequent but results hitherto are inconclusive. Therefore, we aimed to define the incidence of long-term COVID signs and symptoms as defined by the World Health Organization, using a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. A systematic search in several databases was carried out up to 12 January 2022 for observational studies reporting the cumulative incidence of long COVID signs and symptoms divided according to body systems affected. ⋯ Higher mean age was associated with higher incidence of psychiatric, respiratory, general, digestive and skin conditions. The incidence of long COVID symptomatology was different according to continent and follow-up length. Long COVID is a common condition in patients who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, regardless of the severity of the acute illness, indicating the need for more cohort studies on this topic.
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Acute dyspnea represents one of the most frequent symptoms leading to emergency room evaluation. Its significant prognostic value warrants a careful evaluation. The differential diagnosis of dyspnea is complex due to the lack of specificity and the loose association between its intensity and the severity of the underlying pathological condition. ⋯ In recent years, accumulating evidence indicated that lung ultrasound, along with echocardiography, represents the first rapid and non-invasive line of assessment that accurately differentiates heart, lung or extra-pulmonary involvement in patients with dyspnea. Moreover, non-invasive respiratory support modalities such as high-flow nasal oxygen and continuous positive airway pressure have aroused major clinical interest, in light of their efficacy and practicality to treat patients with dyspnea requiring ventilatory support, without using invasive mechanical ventilation. This clinical review is focused on the pathophysiology of acute dyspnea, on its clinical presentation and evaluation, including ultrasound-based diagnostic workup, and on available non-invasive modalities of respiratory support that may be required in patients with acute dyspnea secondary or associated with respiratory failure.
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Obesity is a significant public health concern which is implicated in cardiometabolic disease, mechanical complications and psychiatric sequelae. BMI is currently used for diagnosis; however, it has limited sensitivity for adiposity in certain circumstances. This has led to the development of risk stratification tools like the Edmonton Staging criteria and the Kings Obesity Staging Criteria: these facilitate and guide comprehensive obesity-related complication assessment. ⋯ Clinical evaluation of the patient living with obesity should take a holistic approach and involve input from bariatric physicians, dietitians, psychologists, and bariatric surgeons, wider members of the multi-disciplinary team should be involved where needed. Clinicians should take a detailed history, examination and order laboratory tests to investigate for complications. Overall, with appropriate evaluation, these assessments can guide patient management and facilitate long-term improvement in health.
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Recently, compelling evidence points to dysbiosis and disruption of the epithelial intestinal barrier as major players in the pathophysiology of metabolic disorders, such as obesity. Upon the intestinal barrier disruption, components from bacterial metabolism and bacteria itself can reach peripheral tissues through circulation. This has been associated with the low-grade inflammation that characterizes obesity and other metabolic diseases. ⋯ Gut inflammatory signals cause direct deleterious inflammatory responses in adipose tissue and may also affect key gut neuroendocrine mechanisms governing nutrient sensing and energy balance, like incretins and ghrelin, which play a role in the gut-brain-adipose tissue axis. Thus, it is of major importance to disclose how gut microbiota and derived signals modulate neuroendocrine and inflammatory pathways, which contribute to the dysfunction of adipose tissue and to the metabolic sequelae of obesity and related disorders. This review summarizes the current knowledge regarding these topics and identifies new perspectives in this field of research, highlighting new pathways toward the reduction of the inflammatory burden of metabolic diseases.