The global challenges of the long COVID-19 in adults and children

COVID-19 has caused more than 767 million cases and 6.94 million deaths up to June 2023 (https://covid19.who.int/), and these numbers could be significantly higher, potentially even three to four times the excess mortality associated with this disease [6–10]. [...]early during this pandemic (2020) [11–14], multiple studies began to recognize and understand that chronic consequences may occur in a significant proportion of patients [15,16], leading to various manifestations and affecting different systems and organs after the acute phase of the illness [17]. According to this study, once the symptoms of prolonged COVID are established, they tend to remain stable and without much variation over time, the same can be said of those people who do not develop the condition immediately [37]. According to the WHO, 10–20% of people infected by SARS-CoV-2 may go on to develop its symptoms (https://www.who.int/europe/news-room/fact-sheets/item/post-covid-19-condition). [...]studies assessing the trajectories of the evolution of post-COVID-19 conditions in the long term are widely needed [43]. Female sex, younger age, belonging to a an African-American, mixed ethnicity or another ethnic minority group, socioeconomic deprivation, smoking, high body mass index and the presence of a wide range of comorbidities were associated with increased risk of symptoms included in the WHO definition of long COVID-19, and they are statistically associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection reported 12 weeks or more after infection [48].