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ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic, resulting from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has severely impacted the population worldwide with a great mortality rate. The current article reviews the literature on short- and long-term health consequences of prior epidemics and infections to assess potential health complications that may be associated with post-COVID-19 recovery. Past research on post-epidemic and post-infection recovery has suggested that such complications include the development of severe fatigue. Certain factors, such as the severity of infection, in addition to the ‘cytokine storm’ experienced by many COVID-19 patients, may contribute to the development of later health problems. We suggest that the patterns observed in past epidemics and infections may re-occur in the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Mohammed F. Islam
Mohammed F. Islam has a background in experimental psychology with a focus on human cognition. He is currently studying the factors associated with the development of ME/CFS after infectious mononucleosis in college students.
Joseph Cotler
Joseph Cotler earned his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Birmingham in England. He is currently researching cytokine expressions resulting from ME/CFS.
Leonard A. Jason
Leonard A. Jason is professor of psychology and the Director of the Center for Community Research at DePaul University. He has been studying the epidemiology of ME/CFS since the early 1990s, and his work has included community-based adult and pediatric samples.