The interplay of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome and aging: a biological, clinical and public health approach

Giovanni Guaraldi*, Jovana Milic, Matteo Cesari, Leonard Leibovici, Federica Mandreoli, Paolo Missier, Renzo Rozzini, Anna Maria Cattelan, Federico Motta, Cristina Mussini, Andrea Cossarizza

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

The post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS) is characterized by the persistence of fluctuating symptoms over three months from the onset of the possible or confirmed COVID-19 acute phase. Current data suggests that at least 10% of people with previously documented infection may develop PACS, and up to 50–80% of prevalence is reported among survivors after hospital discharge. This viewpoint will discuss various aspects of PACS, particularly in older adults, with a specific hypothesis to describe PACS as the expression of a modified aging trajectory induced by SARS CoV-2. This hypothesis will be argued from biological, clinical and public health view, addressing three main questions: (i) does SARS-CoV-2-induced alterations in aging trajectories play a role in PACS?; (ii) do people with PACS face immuno-metabolic derangements that lead to increased susceptibility to age-related diseases?; (iii) is it possible to restore the healthy aging trajectory followed by the individual before pre-COVID?. A particular focus will be given to the well-being of people with PACS that could be assessed by the intrinsic capacity model and support the definition of the healthy aging trajectory.

Original languageEnglish
Article number101686
Number of pages9
JournalAgeing Research Reviews
Volume81
Early online date9 Jul 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This study is supported by a Gilead Sciences Inc. unrestricted grant.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Biochemistry
  • Ageing
  • Molecular Biology
  • Neurology

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