Long-Term Effects of Covid-19 on the Cardiopulmonary System in Adults and Children: Current Status and Questions to Be Resolved by the National Institutes of Health Researching Covid to Enhance Recovery Initiative

Authors

Franz Rischard, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
Natasha Altman, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO.
Jacqueline Szmuszkovicz, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA; Division of Cardiology, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA.
Frank Sciurba, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA.
Erika Berman-Rosenzweig, Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University School of Medicine, New York, NY.
Simon Lee, Heart Center, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
Sankaran Krishnan, Boston Children's Health Physicians, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY.
Ngan Truong, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT.
John Wood, Department of Pediatrics and Radiology, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA.
Aloke V. Finn, CVPath Institute, Gaithersburg, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD; Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Electronic address: afinn@cvpath.org.

Author Type(s)

Faculty

Journal Title

Chest

First Page

978

Last Page

989

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-1-2024

Department

Pediatrics

Abstract

TOPIC IMPORTANCE: Long COVID may occur in at least 10% of patients recovering from SARS-CoV-2 infection and often is associated with debilitating symptoms. Among the organ systems that might be involved in its pathogenesis, the respiratory and cardiovascular systems may be central to common symptoms seen in survivors of COVID-19, including fatigue, dyspnea, chest pain, cough, and exercise intolerance. Understand the exact symptomatology, causes, and effects of long COVID on the heart and lungs may help us to discover new therapies. To that end, the National Institutes of Health is sponsoring a national study population of diverse volunteers to support large-scale studies on the long-term effects of COVID-19. REVIEW FINDINGS: The National Institutes of Health Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) initiative currently is recruiting participants in the United States to answer critical questions about long COVID. The study comprises adult and pediatric cohorts as well as an electronic health record cohort. Based on symptoms, individuals undergo prespecified medical testing to understand whether abnormalities can be detected and are followed up longitudinally. Herein, we outline current understanding of the clinical symptoms and pathophysiologic features of long COVID with respect to the cardiopulmonary system in adults and children and then determine how the clinical, electronic health record, and autopsy cohorts of the RECOVER initiative will attempt to answer the most pressing questions surrounding the long-term effects of COVID-19. SUMMARY: Data generated from the RECOVER initiative will provide guidance about missing gaps in our knowledge about long COVID and how they might be filled by data gathered through the RECOVER initiative.

Recommended Citation

Rischard, F., Altman, N., Szmuszkovicz, J., Sciurba, F., Berman-Rosenzweig, E., Lee, S., Krishnan, S., Truong, N., Wood, J., & Finn, A. V. (2024). Long-Term Effects of Covid-19 on the Cardiopulmonary System in Adults and Children: Current Status and Questions to Be Resolved by the National Institutes of Health Researching Covid to Enhance Recovery Initiative. Chest, 165 (4), 978-989. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2023.12.030