Pediatr. praxi. 2025;26(5):337-341

What the post-COVID period has brought in the field of influenza-like ilnesses

MUDr. Pavel Kostiuk, CSc.¹, PharmDr. Lucie Kotlářová², PharmDr. Zdeněk Procházka¹

¹ Edukafarm, Jesenice u Prahy

² InPharm Clinic, Jesenice u Prahy

Research and clinical experience increasingly clearly show that significant consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection include significant long-term dysregulation of the immune system. The pathophysiological mechanisms of this disorder, which is part of the post-COVID syndrome, include, for example, persistent inflammatory activation, functional exhaustion of T lymphocytes, impaired memory of B lymphocytes and antibody responses, the formation of autoantibodies, and reactivation of latent herpes viruses (especially EBV). Immune disorders have also been described in patients with initially mild or home-managed course of COVID-19. A significant consequence of these conditions is reduced anti-infective immunity, including defense against influenza-like illneses (ILI). The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge about the mechanism of immune dysregulation in the post-COVID period, typical clinical manifestations, and implications for the prevention and treatment of ILI.

Keywords: influenza-like ilnesses, COVID-19, post-covid syndrome, anti-infectious immunity, immunostimulation.

Published: October 30, 2025  Show citation