Clinical trials on the pharmacological treatment of long COVID: a systematic review

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Clinical trials on the pharmacological treatment of long COVID: a systematic review via Journal of Medical Virology Abstract Background The post-acute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (PASC), also known as post-acute coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) or the long COVID syndrome (long COVID) is an emerging public health concern. A substantial proportion of individuals may remain symptomatic months after initial recovery. An updated review of published and ongoing trials focusing on managing long COVID will help identify gaps and address the unmet needs of patients suffering from this potentially debilitating syndrome. Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted on the international databases and clinical trial registries from inception to 31 July 2022. Results This review included 6 published trials and 54 trial registration records. There is significant heterogeneity in the characterization of long COVID and ascertainment of primary outcomes. Most of the trials are focused on individual symptoms of long COVI D or isolated organ dysfunction, classified according to cardiovascular, respiratory and functional capacity, neurological and psychological, fatigue, and olfactory dysfunction. Most of the interventions are related to the mechanisms causing the individual symptoms. Although the 6 published trials showed significant improvement in the symptoms or organ dysfunction studied, these initial studies lack internal and external validity limiting the generalizability. Conclusions This review provides an update of the pharmacological agents that could be used to treat long COVID. Further standardization of the diagnostic criteria, inclusion of participants with concomitant chronic cardiometabolic diseases and standardization of outcomes will be essential in future clinical trials. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. View on Web

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