Potential long-term neurological and gastrointestinal effects of COVID-19: A review of adult cohorts

Zaki A Sherif; Mrinalini Deverapalli; Suryanarayana Reddy Challa; Zara Martirosyan; Peter Whitesell; Antonio Machado Pizuorno; Zainab Naqvi; Ingrid K Tulloch; Gholamreza Oskrochi; Hassan Brim; Hassan Ashktorab

doi:10.5662/wjm.v13.i4.323

Potential long-term neurological and gastrointestinal effects of COVID-19: A review of adult cohorts

World J Methodol. 2023 Sep 20;13(4):323-336. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v13.i4.323.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC 20059, United States. zaki.sherif@howard.edu.
² Howard University Cancer Center, Howard University, Washington, DC 20060, United States.
³ Department of Internal Medicine, Howard University Hospital, Washington, DC 20060, United States.
⁴ Department of Pulmonary Disease/Sleep Medicine, Howard University Hospital, Washington, DC 20060, United States.
⁵ Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, United States.
⁶ Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20007, United States.
⁷ Department of Psychology, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, United States.
⁸ College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East, Kuwait Egaila 54200, Kuwait.
⁹ Pathology & Cancer Center, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC 20060, United States.
¹⁰ Medicine & Cancer Center, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC 20060, United States.

Abstract

Background: The respiratory infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has evolved into a multi-organ disorder, with long-term effects known as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection or long coronavirus disease (COVID).

Aim: To examine the current knowledge and outcomes of long-term neurological and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in adult cohorts, including United States minority populations.

Methods: PubMed and Google Scholar were searched using relevant terms, and data from five studies were analyzed, comprising 27383 patients with persistent neurological and GI sequelae.

Results: The main symptoms included anxiety, depression, dysphagia, headache, vomiting, nausea, gastroesophageal reflux, fatigue, and abdominal pain. Patients with comorbidities and metabolic syndromes were at higher risk for long COVID. While most patients were European Americans, there was a need for further study on African Americans.

Conclusion: The underlying causes of these symptoms remain unclear, warranting more investigation into the long-term impact of the SARS-CoV-2 on different populations.

Keywords: Angiotensin converting enzyme; Gastrointestinal; Long coronavirus disease; Neurological; Post-acute sequalae of SARS-CoV-2 infection; Post-viral syndromes.