Asequela (UK:/sɪˈkwiːlə/,[1]US:/sɪˈkwɛlə/;[2][3] usually used in the plural,sequelae/-iː/) is apathological condition resulting from adisease,injury,therapy, or othertrauma. Derived from the Latin word meaning "sequel", it is used in the medical field to mean a complication or condition following a prior illness or disease.[4]
A typical sequela is achroniccomplication of anacute condition—in other words, a long-term effect of a temporary disease or injury—which follows immediately from the condition. Sequelae differ fromlate effects, which can appear long after—even several decades after—the original condition has resolved.
In general, non-medical usage, the termssequela andsequelae mean consequence and consequences.[5]
Chronic kidney disease, for example, is sometimes a sequela ofdiabetes; "chronic constipation" or more accurately "obstipation" (that is, inability to pass stool or gas) is a sequela to an intestinal obstruction; and neck pain is a common sequela ofwhiplash or other trauma to thecervical vertebrae.Post-traumatic stress disorder may be a psychological sequela of one or more traumatic events. Sequelae oftraumatic brain injury includeheadache,dizziness,anxiety,apathy,depression, aggression, cognitive impairments, personality changes,mania, andpsychosis.[citation needed]
COVID-19 is also known to cause post-acute sequelae, known aslong COVID, post-COVID syndrome, orpost-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC).[6] This refers to the continuation of COVID-19 symptoms or the development of new ones, four or more weeks after the initial infection; these symptoms may persist for weeks and months. Post-COVID syndrome can occur in individuals who were asymptomatic for COVID, as well as those ranging from mild illness to severe hospitalization.[7] These most commonly reported sequelae include fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, loss of smell, andbrain fog; symptoms drastically range, from mild illness to severe impairment.[8]
Some conditions may bediagnosed retrospectively from their sequelae. An example ispleurisy.[citation needed]
Other examples of sequelae include those following neurological injury; includingaphasia,ataxia, hemi- andquadriplegia, and any number of other changes that may be caused by neurological trauma. Note that these pathologies can be related to both physical and chemical traumas, as both can cause lingeringneuronal damage.[citation needed]
The phrasestatus post, abbreviated in writing ass/p, is used to discuss sequelae with reference to their cause. Clinicians typically use the phrase to refer to acute traumatic conditions. For example: "the patient had neck painstatus post amotor vehicle accident".[citation needed]
Rheumatic fever is a non-suppurative sequela of a primary infection of group AStreptococcus bacteria.Glomerulonephritis can also be a non-suppurative sequela ofStreptococcus pyogenes.[9][10]
