SARS-CoV-2 is not unique in its ability to cause post-acute sequelae; certain acute infections have long been associated with an unexplained chronic disability in a minority of patients. These post-acute infection syndromes (PAISs) represent a substantial healthcare burden, but there is a lack of understanding of the underlying mechanisms, representing a significant blind spot in the field of medicine. The relatively similar symptom profiles of individual PAISs, irrespective of the infectious agent, as well as the overlap of clinical features with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), suggest the potential involvement of a common etiopathogenesis. In this Review, we summarize what is known about unexplained PAISs, provide context for post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), and delineate the need for basic biomedical research into the underlying mechanisms behind this group of enigmatic chronic illnesses.

SARS-CoV-2 在引起急性后遗症方面并不是唯一的；长期以来，某些急性感染与少数患者不明原因的慢性残疾有关。这些急性感染后综合症 (PAIS) 代表着巨大的医疗保健负担，但缺乏对潜在机制的了解，是医学领域的一个重大盲点。个体 PAIS 的相对相似的症状特征（不考虑传染源）以及临床特征与肌痛性脑脊髓炎/慢性疲劳综合征 (ME/CFS) 的重叠表明可能涉及共同的发病机制。在这篇综述中，我们总结了关于无法解释的 PAIS 的已知信息，为 SARS-CoV-2 感染 (PASC) 的急性后遗症提供了背景信息，