COVID-19 epidemic: a special focus on diagnosis, complications, and management

ABSTRACT

Introduction

The outbreak of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection has become a serious hazard to global health. Apart from attacking respiratory system, it can induce multiorgan dysfunction, including cardiovascular system, liver, kidney, gastrointestinal, nervous system, and immune system. However, there are few reviews focusing on summary and comparison of diagnostic methods and complications induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection, which places a significant limit on the effective management.

Areas covered

This review is a blend of evidence obtained by literature retrieval from PubMed, clinical experience, and the authors’ opinions. We searched PubMed using the terms ‘COVID-19 & diagnosis’ and ‘COVID-19 & complications’ and selected the most relevant articles. Here we summarize the diagnostic methods that are available in clinic and discuss their different characters. Furthermore, the review offers an insight into the symptoms, incidence, and clinical strategies of complications associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Expert opinion

COVID-19 has been a global pandemic, which requires rapid response. The comparison between different characters of the diagnostic methods and the summary of the symptoms, incidence, and clinical strategies of complications given in this review are not only significant for the optimal use of diagnostic methods, but also beneficial for the prevention and management of complications.

KEYWORDS:

• Complications
• COVID-19
• diagnosis
• pneumonia
• SARS-CoV-2

Article highlights

1. The outbreak of COVID-19 has become a serious hazard to global health, which requires rapid response.

2. Apart from attacking respiratory system, SARS-CoV-2 infection can induce multiorgan dysfunction, including cardiovascular system, liver, kidney, gastrointestinal, nervous system and immune system.

3. The comparison between different characters of the current diagnostic methods is not only significant for the optimal use of diagnostic methods to detect SARS-CoV-2 but also beneficial for new diagnostic technology development.

4. The summary of the symptoms, incidence, and clinical strategies of complications induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection is urgently needed to improve the management of the pandemic and avoid irreversible consequences that can impede patient access to normal life.

5. Developing vaccines has become the most efficient way to control the pandemic. Researchers around the world are devoted to figuring out the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 and finding targets to fight against COVID-19.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer declarations

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by COVID-19 Emergency Scientific Research Project [No. 2020XGZX010] and Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China [No. LED20H190002].