Post-akutes COVID-19 (“long-COVID”): Andauernde Symptome, mögliche Ursachen und symptomgeleitetes post-akut COVID-19 Management zur Wiedererlangung der körperlichen Leistungsfähigkeit (Scoping Review)

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative virus for the pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). After more than one year it becomes apparent that for some patients the acute symptoms can persist for several months. Post-acute COVID-19 is defined as the persistence of symptoms and/or long-term complications beyond 4 weeks from the onset of the acute symptoms. Even though the evidence is preliminary, the prevalence in the general population is reported to range from 15 to 30%. The symptoms can be assigned to numerous organ systems and are described as very heterogenous with regards to their number, duration and severity. To this day it is not exactly known what causes the subacute and chronic manifestation of acute COVID-19. The treatment should be guided by the individual symptoms of the patients. To prevent setbacks, it is recommended to plan and monitor physical activity carefully. Athletes returning to sports with or recovered from post-acute COVID-19 require a thorough physical examination and a stepwise increase of training load to prevent long-term organ damage and a reduction in physical capacity. The aim of the scoping review is to summarize ongoing symptoms and possible causes for post-acute COVID-19 (“long-COVID”) and to classify essential aspects for post-acute COVID-19 management to regain physical fitness on the basis of current evidence.