Evaluating Post-COVID-19 Conditions

Abstract

Abstract Persistent symptoms, physical signs, and abnormal test results after acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) illness have emerged as a significant problem in the current and ongoing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus pandemic. Finding a rational balance between compelling subjective symptoms and limited objective findings in patients with post-COVID-19 conditions is challenging. We advise caution in adopting attributions, explanations, and management strategies, and especially in conferring formal disability status, for these disorders until we understand them more completely. The prevalent uncertainties threaten both overevaluation and overtreatment, with substantial personal and societal consequences, and all stakeholders need to be both intellectually open and cautious going forward. This article highlights several concerns in evaluating and treating patients with enduring COVID-19-related illness.