Epidemiology, course and predictors of long-term COVID infection (long COVID). A review.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a serious challenge to the healthcare system in the 21st century. At present, there have been over 771 million reported cases worldwide. Apart from the acute symptoms, a significant number of patients experience long-term consequences of the infection, which greatly impact their quality of life. These long-term consequences are titled as "long-COVID." It is nesessary to study the consequences of COVID-19 infection in order to develop effective strategies for combating them. This review aims to provide an overview of the history of the term "long-COVID" and discusses the characteristics of contemporary terminology. Additionally, the review presents data on the prevalence of long-COVID, primary symptoms, risk factors, and explores potential biomarkers, prognosis, as well as prospects for subsequent clinical trials.