Long COVID - From Pathophysiology to Rehabilitation

Long COVID has emerged as one of the most complex and urgent health challenges of the post-pandemic era. Affecting millions worldwide, it is characterized by persistent and often disabling symptoms involving multiple organ systems, extending well beyond the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection and significantly impacting quality of life, functional independence, and healthcare systems. This volume...

Long COVID has emerged as one of the most complex and urgent health challenges of the post-pandemic era. Affecting millions worldwide, it is characterized by persistent and often disabling symptoms involving multiple organ systems, extending well beyond the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection and significantly impacting quality of life, functional independence, and healthcare systems. This volume provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the current scientific understanding of Long COVID, featuring contributions from leading international experts in clinical, neuroscientific, and rehabilitation fields. Covering the biological mechanisms underlying symptom persistence, as well as the challenges of diagnosis, assessment, and treatment, the book offers an integrated perspective on this multifaceted condition. Chapters examine key pathophysiological processes – including chronic inflammation, immune dysregulation, endothelial dysfunction, autonomic alterations, and neurocognitive impairment – while exploring their systemic consequences across cardiovascular, endocrine, neurological, and psychosocial domains. Particular attention is given to emerging diagnostic approaches, clinical assessment strategies, and evidence-based rehabilitation interventions to improve functional outcomes and patient well-being. By bridging basic science, clinical practice, and rehabilitation medicine, Long COVID – From Pathophysiology to Rehabilitation underscores the importance of multidisciplinary and patient-centered care in addressing the long-term consequences of COVID-19. An essential resource for clinicians, neuroscientists, rehabilitation specialists, public health professionals, researchers, and graduate students, this book offers valuable insights into the mechanisms, manifestations, assessment, and management of one of the most significant post-viral syndromes of our time.