Maladies chroniques et complications post-covid 19

Abstract

After SARS-CoV in 2002 and MERS in 2012, a new coronavirus belonging to the Coronaviridae family has triggered a major pandemic of acute respiratory illness called COVID-19. This new virus, SARS-CoV-2, is an RNA virus composed of four structural proteins: N, S, M, and E, sixteen non-structural proteins, and accessory proteins. This virus binds to ACE2 via its S protein in order to enter the host cell and replicate. SARS-CoV-2 is a highly contagious virus, spreading primarily through the air via droplets expelled by infected individuals. In addition to its contagiousness, SARS-CoV-2 continues to generate mutants, five of which are considered variants of concern: alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and 0micron. COVID-19 is characterized by acute phase symptoms, primarily: fever, anosmia, and headaches in mild cases of infection, and fatigue, cough, and dyspnea in moderate cases. It can worsen the patient's overall condition, leading to respiratory distress syndrome and death in the most severe cases. Diagnosis of this disease relies on clinical signs and is confirmed by laboratory tests, with RT-PCR remaining the most specific test for SARS-CoV-2. After the first months of the pandemic, researchers observed the persistence of certain symptoms even after recovery from the illness, giving the name "long COVID" to these cases. Fatigue, exertional dyspnea, persistent cough, and joint pain were the most common symptoms among patients. Therefore, researchers have focused all their studies on the pathophysiology of this disease by determining the various comorbidities and its impact on chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, thyroid disorders, and renal failure, which we attempted to assess in this thesis based on a questionnaire administered to 184 randomly selected participants. Despite the decline in the virulence of SARS-CoV-2, it remains a human health problem that must be addressed as soon as possible.