Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.2
2.9
Journals
JCM
Special Issues
Sequelae of COVID-19: Clinical to Prognostic Follow-Up
jcm-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for JCM Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Sequelae of COVID-19: Clinical to Prognostic Follow-Up

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Vascular Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 2601

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Mariana Tudoran

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center of Molecular Research in Nephrology and Vascular Disease, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes” Timisoara, E. Murgu Square, Nr. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Interests: arterial hypertension; coronary artery disease; heart failure; pulmonary hypertension; cardiovascular alterations in patients with other pathologies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Cristina Tudoran

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department VII, Internal Medicine II, Discipline of Cardiology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes” Timisoara, E. Murgu Square, Nr. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
2. Centre of Molecular Research in Nephrology and Vascular Disease, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Vic-tor Babes” Timisoara, E. Murgu Square, Nr. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
3. County Emergency Hospital “Pius Brinzeu”, L. Rebreanu, Nr. 156, 300723 Timisoara, Romania
Interests: pulmonary hypertension; heart failure; heart rate variability; myocarditis; pericarditis; COVID-19 and post-acute COVID-19 syndrome
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A year after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when increasing numbers of patients were observed to have an unusually long and difficult recovery after an acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, researchers suspected that COVID-19 could have long-lasting sequelae. In 2020, post-acute COVID-19 syndrome was first mentioned in the medical literature, defined by the persistence of symptoms between 3 weeks and 3 months after an acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. Unfortunately, this was just the "tip of the iceberg", as several of these patients continued to present complaints or even new symptoms that occurred up to 6 months after contracting the SARS-CoV-2 infection. These subjects were diagnosed as having long COVID, which, according to the World Health Organization, has an incidence of 10–20% of all patients recovering from COVID-19. The symptoms cover a large spectrum since various systems and organs can be affected during the acute infection. The most frequently encountered sequelae are respiratory ones such as interstitial pulmonary fibrosis resulting in respiratory insufficiency, followed by multiple cardiovascular dysfunctions, with the most severe being pulmonary hypertension and chronic heart failure, not to forget neurological and psychiatric alterations, but also the renal, metabolic, hematological, or even gastrointestinal consequences of this disease. It should be mentioned that these sequelae rarely appear isolated; they are frequently associated and interrelated, severely affecting patients′ quality of life.

This Special Issue aims to focus on new insights concerning the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms, diagnosis, management, and complex treatment of COVID-19 sequelae. We welcome the submission of original articles, reviews, and clinical trials focused on new approaches to COVID-19 syndromes.

Dr. Mariana Tudoran
Dr. Cristina Tudoran
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • post-COVID-19 syndromes
  • sequelae of COVID-19
  • pathophysiological pathways
  • multiorgan sequelae
  • long-term management of post-COVID-19 syndromes
  • quality of life
  • long-term prognosis of COVID-19

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

13 pages, 5539 KB  
Article
Objective and Subjective Voice Outcomes in Post-COVID-19 Dysphonia: A High-Speed Videoendoscopy Pre–Post Study
by Joanna Jeleniewska, Jakub Malinowski, Ewa Niebudek-Bogusz and Wioletta Pietruszewska
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(19), 6861; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14196861 - 28 Sep 2025
Abstract
Background/Objectives: The post-COVID-19 condition frequently includes dysphonia. We aimed to assess objective and subjective voice disorders and short-term responses to multimodal therapy in patients with isolated post-COVID-19 dysphonia. Methods: This retrospective, single-center pre–post study screened 244 post-COVID-19 patients; a subset of [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The post-COVID-19 condition frequently includes dysphonia. We aimed to assess objective and subjective voice disorders and short-term responses to multimodal therapy in patients with isolated post-COVID-19 dysphonia. Methods: This retrospective, single-center pre–post study screened 244 post-COVID-19 patients; a subset of 14 with isolated dysphonia underwent standardized assessment at baseline and at 1-month follow-up. Patient-reported outcomes (Voice Handicap Index, VHI; Voice-Related Quality of Life, V-RQOL) and endoscopic evaluation were performed using videolaryngostroboscopy (LVS) and high-speed videoendoscopy (HSV) with kymographic analysis to quantify parameters describing vocal fold oscillations. The treatment included short-term systemic corticosteroids, inhaled corticosteroids, hyaluronic-acid inhalations, and structured voice therapy. Results: At baseline, HSV revealed signs of glottal insufficiency—irregular and asymmetric vocal fold motion, reduced amplitude and pliability, a disrupted mucosal wave, and an increased open quotient. At follow-up, HSV showed increased oscillation, amplitude, and cycle regularity with reduced left–right asymmetry and phase differences; phonovibrograms displayed clearer and more structured patterns. Perturbation indices decreased across jitter and shimmer measures, and the mean fundamental frequency was lower. Improvements in instrumental measures aligned with better VHI and V-RQOL scores. Conclusions: In patients with persistent dysphonia after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, comprehensive ENT evaluation with instrumental laryngeal assessment is warranted. Short-term multimodal management was associated with improvements in both HSV-derived measures and patient-reported outcomes; confirmation in controlled studies is needed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sequelae of COVID-19: Clinical to Prognostic Follow-Up)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 652 KB  
Article
Long COVID and Acute Stroke in the Emergency Department: An Analysis of Presentation, Reperfusion Treatment, and Early Outcomes
by Daian-Ionel Popa, Florina Buleu, Aida Iancu, Anca Tudor, Carmen Gabriela Williams, Marius Militaru, Codrina Mihaela Levai, Tiberiu Buleu, Livia Ciolac, Anda Gabriela Militaru and Ovidiu Alexandru Mederle
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(18), 6514; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14186514 - 16 Sep 2025
Viewed by 307
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Long COVID has been linked with persistent neurological symptoms, but data on its effects on acute stroke presentation, management, and outcomes remain unclear. This study aimed to compare the clinical profile, management, and short-term outcome of acute ischemic stroke patients [...] Read more.
Background and Objectives: Long COVID has been linked with persistent neurological symptoms, but data on its effects on acute stroke presentation, management, and outcomes remain unclear. This study aimed to compare the clinical profile, management, and short-term outcome of acute ischemic stroke patients with and without Long COVID. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 132 patients who presented at admission with code stroke alert in our Emergency Department (ED). Out of those, 26 were identified to have the Long COVID condition and assigned to the Long COVID group, and 106 were without the Long COVID condition and assigned to the No Long COVID group. Baseline demographics, stroke severity by NIHSS (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale), risk factors, admission symptoms, laboratory findings, Emergency department time targets, reperfusion treatments received, and outcomes between the two groups were compared. Results: There were no significant differences between the two groups in age, gender, baseline NIHSS scores, ED time targets, or laboratory values. The proportion of patients with Long COVID significantly increased among non-smokers (Fisher’s Exact Test chi-squared, p = 0.027). Also, patients suffering from Long COVID exhibited higher incidences of headache (19.2% compared to 5.7%, OR = 3.97, p = 0.040) and facial drooping (42.3% compared to 19.8%, OR = 2.97, p = 0.022). The mechanical thrombectomy was more frequent among the group with Long COVID (30.8% vs. 16.0%), but this difference was not statistically significant. More hemorrhagic transformations happened in the Long COVID group (26.9% vs. 14.2%, p = 0.143). Discharge rates and hospital length of stay in days were similar between groups. Conclusions: Long COVID patients did not present notable differences in emergency department time targets, baseline stroke severity, or short-term outcomes when presenting with code stroke alert. Nevertheless, specific clinical characteristics—such as elevated occurrences of headache and facial drooping—were more frequently observed in patients with Long COVID, alongside non-significant trends indicating a greater utilization of mechanical thrombectomy and increased rates of hemorrhagic transformation. These results imply that Long COVID may have a subtle impact on stroke presentation and potentially on underlying cerebrovascular susceptibility. Further prospective studies with larger sample sizes are necessary to investigate Long COVID’s long-term neurological and vascular consequences. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sequelae of COVID-19: Clinical to Prognostic Follow-Up)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 1079 KB  
Article
Symptomatic Trends and Time to Recovery for Long COVID Patients Infected During the Omicron Phase
by Hiroshi Akiyama, Yasue Sakurada, Hiroyuki Honda, Yui Matsuda, Yuki Otsuka, Kazuki Tokumasu, Yasuhiro Nakano, Ryosuke Takase, Daisuke Omura, Keigo Ueda and Fumio Otsuka
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(14), 4918; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14144918 - 11 Jul 2025
Viewed by 1435
Abstract
Background: Since the pathophysiology of long COVID is not yet fully understood, there are no specific methods for its treatment; however, its individual symptoms can currently be treated. Long COVID is characterized by symptoms that persist at least 2 to 3 months after [...] Read more.
Background: Since the pathophysiology of long COVID is not yet fully understood, there are no specific methods for its treatment; however, its individual symptoms can currently be treated. Long COVID is characterized by symptoms that persist at least 2 to 3 months after contracting COVID-19, although it is difficult to predict how long such symptoms may persist. Methods: In the present study, 774 patients who first visited our outpatient clinic during the Omicron period from February 2022 to October 2024 were divided into two groups: the early recovery (ER) group (370 cases; 47.8%), who recovered in less than 180 days (median 33 days), and the persistent-symptom (PS) group (404 cases; 52.2%), who had symptoms that persisted for more than 180 days (median 437 days). The differences in clinical characteristics between these two groups were evaluated. Results: Although the median age of the two groups did not significantly differ (40 and 42 in ER and PS groups, respectively), the ratio of female patients was significantly higher in the PS group than the ER group (59.4% vs. 47.3%). There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of the period after infection, habits, BMI, severity of COVID-19, and vaccination history. Notably, at the first visit, female patients in the PS group had a significantly higher rate of complaints of fatigue, insomnia, memory disturbance, and paresthesia, while male patients in the PS group showed significantly higher rates of fatigue and headache complaints. Patients with more than three symptoms at the first visit were predominant in the PS groups in both genders. Notably, one to two symptoms were predominant in the male ER group, while two to three symptoms were mostly reported in the female PS group. Moreover, the patients in the PS group had significantly higher scores for physical and mental fatigue and for depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Collectively, these results suggest that long-lasting long COVID is related to the number of symptoms and presents gender-dependent differences. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sequelae of COVID-19: Clinical to Prognostic Follow-Up)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop