Integrated multidisciplinary post-COVID-19 care in Egypt

We report the founding of the first private post-COVID-19 clinic in Cairo after many patients, who were not previously hospitalised with COVID-19, but were presumed to have had the virus and associated PASC, reported interest in treatment for PASC. Our multidisciplinary clinic was inaugurated in February, 2021. The team of health-care professionals includes five nurses, six consultants, a physiotherapist, a phlebotomist, and a radiology technician. The clinic also includes rehabilitation, physical therapy, laboratory and radiological services.

Patients voluntarily join the clinic by scheduling an appointment via a telephone call. They are seen initially by a trained nurse who administers a questionnaire that was developed to assess patients’ baseline clinical status. Patients then receive an initial diagnostic workup—including laboratory testing, echocardiography, pulmonary function testing, and electrocardiogram—before being seen by the staff pulmonologist and cardiologist who can recommend additional workup or refer the patient to another specialist if needed. Laboratory workup consists of assessments of complete blood count; liver function; thyroid profile; renal function test; and C-reactive protein, D-dimer, creatine kinase, ferritin, lactate dehydrogenase, fasting and postprandial glucose, and glycated haemoglobin concentrations. Patients are seen at 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month intervals from their initial visit and more frequently if needed. Their medical information is electronically stored, with consent, and updated continuously. We will deidentify the patient data for retrospective analysis after long-term follow up.