Long-COVID and Its Complications
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 4 December 2025 | Viewed by 20776
Special Issue Editor
Interests: psychosomatic disorders; PTSD; immunology; cardiology; stress; pediatric dentistry; oncology; inflammation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Long COVID, a persistent multisystem condition following COVID-19 infection, poses significant challenges for medical practitioners and researchers. Despite the growing number of affected individuals, the mechanisms underlying long COVID's pathophysiology remain unclear. While organ damage from the acute infection phase likely accounts for some symptoms, specific long-lasting inflammatory mechanisms have also been proposed.
This Special Issue aims to explore the enigmatic pathophysiological mechanisms of long COVID, focusing on different levels of the relationship between the nervous and immune systems and analyzing broader categories that may offer insights into potential therapeutic interventions. Researchers are invited to contribute their work on diverse aspects of long COVID to advance our understanding and management of this challenging condition.
Key Points:
- Immunological dysregulation: investigating the immune system's role in long COVID, including acquired immune deficiency, auto-immunity, and potential persistent viral presence;
- Persistent inflammatory processes: addressing the potential mechanisms of organ damage from the acute infection phase and investigating persistent inflammatory processes as contributors to long COVID;
- Neurological aspects of the pathogenesis of long COVID associated with an imbalance in the action of various neurotransmitters and inflammatory mediators in the central nervous system;
- The relationship between disturbances of the gut microbiome, gut barrier function and blood-brain barrier dysfunction in the pathogenesis of long COVID;
- Molecular mechanisms of dysfunction of the limbic–reticular–hypothalamic complex and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis in the manifestations of long COVID and its complications;
- Autonomic nervous system dysfunction: Investigating autonomic nervous system damage as a possible explanation for various long COVID symptoms, even without clear evidence of organ damage;
- Multisystem nature of long COVID: the role of comorbidities and low-grade chronic systemic inflammation in the development of multiple organ dysfunction as manifestations of post-COVID syndrome.
Led by Dr. Alexey Sarapultsev and assisted by our Topical Advisory Panel Member Dr. Zhan Zhang (Emory University School of Medicine), this Special Issue seeks to consolidate research on these broader mechanisms underlying long COVID, offering a comprehensive understanding of the condition's complexities and paving the way for potential therapeutic avenues. Researchers are invited to contribute their work on these topics to advance our comprehension and management of this challenging condition.
Dr. Alexey Sarapultsev
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- acquired immune deficiency
- auto-immunity
- blood–brain barrier dysfunction
- complication
- COVID-19
- gut microbiome
- hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis
- immune dysfunction
- long COVID
- multisystem dysfunction
- neurological complications
- SARS-CoV-2
- systemic inflammation
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