Numerous former corona infected people are affected by long-term consequences. One then speaks of Long Covid or Post Covid. How many is still unclear, the reports and observations differ widely. Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein spoke of 10 to 14 percent of all infected people, with Long Covid also affecting those who rarely fell ill.
Younger people and women in particular suffer from it, stressed Susanne Rabady, Vice President of the Society for General and Family Medicine at a press conference. A guide for doctors to identify and treat the complex symptoms was presented.
“The study situation is still relatively poor,” said Rabady in relation to Long Covid. The colleagues in practice needed “help”, she explained. Around 200 different symptoms have been recorded under the term Long Covid so far. These include shortness of breath, persistent cough, loss of the sense of smell and taste, muscle pain and severe exhaustion.
Time is the most important factor
First of all, according to Rabady, the guide is about recognizing the cause and whether there is a connection with a corona infection. Subsequently, it must be clarified “how severe” the problem is. “There are aids for this, which our guideline also provides,” says Rabady. “The most important thing is the professional conversation with the patient,” she emphasized. Finally, the guideline also helps to decide “when and whether further clarification is necessary”.
The lung specialist Ralf Harun Zwick, who runs a rehabilitation center in Vienna, reports that time is the most important factor, but that medicine, specifically specialist care, can actively support recovery. Rabady says: “For the vast majority of people, it takes months.” A vaccination could also lead to an improvement, says Zwick. There is increasing evidence that the corona vaccination also improves the symptoms of Long Covid disease. It is the beginning of a process and a “living guideline” that needs constant updating, according to Rabady.
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