2.2.3  Potential long-term consequences
COVID-19 has emerged only a few months ago and it is too early to predict long-term outcome of the patients who recover from this illness. However, some important messages can be gleaned from previous experiences with SARS, caused by SARS-CoV which shares considerable similarity with SARS-CoV-2. It was reported that among patients who had recovered from SARS, 68% continued to have abnormalities of lipid metabolism at 12-years follow-up; CV abnormalities were present in 40% and altered glucose metabolism in 60% [12]. Similar findings have also been reported in patients recovering from other respiratory tract infections [13]. Considering this, careful follow-up of those recovering from the current COVID-19 would be important to understand the long-term impact of this illness and also to protect these patients from future CVD.