Publication date: Jul 01, 2025
The long-term effects of COVID-19, known as post-COVID condition (PCC), are still not fully understood. This systematic review synthesizes findings from Nordic registry studies to highlight long-term outcomes after COVID-19 infection. Twenty-two studies, primarily reflecting the pre-omicron and early vaccination phases, reveal increased primary care use for respiratory issues and fatigue in the sub-acute and chronic phases, with PCC incidence estimated below 2% in the general population. Most individuals returned to work within three months post-infection, and the risk of new neurological or mental disorders did not exceed that in patients with other infections. The review demonstrates the value of high-quality Nordic health registries in capturing reliable, population-wide data, though generalizability may be limited to similar healthcare systems. Findings suggest the need for targeted follow-up in patients with severe COVID-19, particularly those requiring intensive care, to manage potential new-onset diseases and guide resource allocation in the pandemic’s endemic phase.
Open Access PDF
| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| Months | COVID-19 |
| Nordic | Fatigue |
| Pandemic | Humans |
| Pcc | Incidence |
| Vaccination | Registries |
| SARS-CoV-2 |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | post-COVID condition |
| disease | MESH | COVID-19 |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Factor IX Complex (Human) |
| disease | MESH | infection |
| disease | MESH | mental disorders |
| disease | IDO | quality |
| disease | MESH | morbidity |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Methionine |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Pentaerythritol tetranitrate |
| disease | IDO | country |
| disease | MESH | sepsis |
| disease | MESH | respiratory tract infections |
| disease | MESH | influenza |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Coenzyme M |
| disease | MESH | memory loss |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Esomeprazole |
| disease | IDO | symptom |
| disease | MESH | chronic diseases |
| disease | MESH | diabetes mellitus |
| disease | MESH | neurological disorders |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Ranitidine |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Aspartame |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Nonoxynol-9 |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Serine |
| pathway | REACTOME | Translation |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Cefalotin |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Honey |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Adenosine |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Guanosine |
| disease | IDO | intervention |
| disease | IDO | process |
| pathway | REACTOME | Reproduction |