Background: COVID-19 is a disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. The disease was classified as a pandemic by World Health Organization in March 2020. COVID-19 can cause Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome, which is long-term symptoms after the infection itself. Post-COVID can affect health in the long term. Purpose/aim: The aim of this study was to illustrate the patients ́ experiences of living with Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome. Method: The method used was a general literature study. Eight articles were used for the study. Results: The result identified the four categories. Experiences of symptoms, experiences of changes in physical health, experiences of changes in social life and experiences of health care. Many patients experienced that they did not have the same energy to do things they had previously been able to do and needed help from close relatives. Conclusion: Due to both Post-COVID and COVID-19 being new diseases, patients experienced a lack of knowledge in the healthcare systems. Patients felt invisible and forgotten as healthcare professionals did not know how to address or care for them. Therefore, there’s a need for further research and increased knowledge regarding the subject in order to improve the quality of healthcare. / Bakgrund: COVID-19 är en sjukdom som orsakas av viruset SARS-CoV- 2. Sjukdomen klassades som en pandemi av World Health Organization i mars 2020. COVID-19 kan orsaka Post-COVID, vilket utgörs av långvariga symtom efter infektionen är utläkt. Post-COVID kan påverka hälsan på lång sikt. Syfte: Syftet var att belysa patienters upplevelser av att leva med Post- COVID. Metod: Metoden som användes var allmän litteraturstudie. Litteraturstudien baserades på åtta resultatartiklar som analyserades. Resultat: Analysen resulterade i fyra olika kategorier: Upplevelser av symtom, upplevelser av förändringar i den psykiska hälsan, upplevelser av förändringar i sociala relationer, samt upplevelser av mötet med vården. I resultatet framkom att vissa patienter orkade inte längre genomföra dagliga sysslor och fick ta hjälp från närstående. Konklusion: Till följd av att både Post-COVID och COVID-19 är nya sjukdomar upplevde patienterna brist på kunskap inom vården. Patienterna kände sig osynliga och bortglömda då vårdpersonal inte visste hur de skulle bemöta eller vårda dem. Det finns därför ett behov av vidare forskning och ökad kunskap kring ämnet för att öka vårdkvaliteten.

Independent from initial severity, many patients develop persistent symptoms after infection with SARS-CoV-2, described as long COVID syndrome. Most of these patients are treated by general practitioners (GPs). As evidence-based treatment recommendations are still sparse, GPs must make their therapy decisions under uncertainty. We investigated (1) the most frequently observed long COVID symptoms in general practices and (2) GPs' applied treatment and rehabilitation plans for these symptoms. In total, 143 German GPs participated in an online-based survey between 05/2021 and 07/2021. We found that each GP practice was treating on average 12 patients with long COVID symptoms. Most frequently seen symptoms were fatigue and reduced performance. Current therapy options were rated as poor and loss of smell and taste, fatigue, or lack of concentration were perceived to be especially difficult to treat. The use of drug and non-drug therapies and specialist referrals focused primarily on physiological and less on psychosomatic/psychological rehabilitation and followed guidelines of similar conditions. Our results provide first insights into how GPs approach a newly emerging condition in the absence of guidelines, evidence-based recommendations, or approved therapies, and might inform about GP preparedness in future pandemics. Our results also emphasize a gap between the current knowledge of the long COVID manifestation and knowledge about effective rehabilitation.

[pt] Prejuízos cognitivos persistentes foram descritos em pacientes pós-COVID-19 independentemente da severidade da infecção, indicando que mesmo pacientes com infecção de grau leve ou moderado podem apresentar complicações cognitivas contínuas. Estratégias não-farmacológicas para reabilitação cognitiva ainda não foram revisadas de maneira sistemática neste grupo de pacientes. Dessa forma, o objetivo do presente estudo foi sistematicamente identificar, resumir e avaliar estudos de intervenção não-farmacológica avaliando desfechos cognitivos em pacientes com prejuízos neuropsicológicos persistentes após casos de COVID-19. Uma busca sistemática por artigos foi conduzida no dia primeiro de Julho de 2022. No total, 833 artigos foram identificados, dos quais 13 estudos foram incluídos na revisão final. Dentre esses, 7 eram estudos de grupo e 6 estudos de caso de sujeito único. Os estudos de grupo incluíram entre 12 e 50 participantes, e 2 destes também incluíram grupos controle. A maior parte dos estudos (11/13) testou a efetividade de intervenções multimodais de reabilitação, em geral combinando exercícios físicos com estimulação cognitiva. Dentre outros protocolos, reabilitação respiratória, ocupacional, psicossocial e fonoaudiológica também foram investigados. Com exceção de dois artigos, todos estudos descreveram resultados positivos após os processos de intervenção, incluindo aumento em escores de testes neuropsicológicos, redução em percepção de fadiga cognitiva e aumento de funcionalidade em atividades da vida diária. No entanto, as diversas limitações da presente literatura indicam que tais resultados devem ser interpretados com cautela. / [en] Persistent cognitive impairment has been described in people after COVID-19 irrespective of infection severity, indicating that patients with mild to moderate infection may also experience persevering cognitive problems. Non-pharmacological strategies for cognitive rehabilitation and their outcomes in this group have so far not been systematically summarized. Therefore, the aim of this study was to systematically identify, summarize, and appraise non-pharmacological rehabilitation intervention studies assessing neuropsychological outcomes in people with cognitive impairment after COVID-19. On July 1st, 2022, a systematic search was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, PsycNET, and CENTRAL. In total, 833 papers were retrieved, of which 13 were included. Among those, 7 were group studies and 6 were single-subject case reports. The group studies included between 12 and 50 participants, of which two studies also included a control group. Most of the studies (11/13) tested multimodal interventions, mainly combining physical exercise with cognitive stimulation. Respiratory rehabilitation, occupational and speech-language therapy, EEG neurofeedback, tDCS, and psychosocial interventions were also investigated. With the exception of two, all studies described positive post-intervention results, including increased cognitive performance, reduced cognitive fatigue, and improved physical functionality. However, limitations of the current literature suggest that results should be considered carefully.