Corona makes you sick – not just in the short term. Data from the UK shows that six months after infection, ten percent of those affected have symptoms. Strikingly, the effects are similar to what is known as “chronic fatigue” (ME/CFS). The disease is characterized by mental and physical exhaustion; but headaches and muscle pain, lymph node swelling and neurological disorders are also typical. The actual cause is unknown and there is no cure. A diagnosis is also only possible via a process of elimination and is often only made years after the first occurrence. The effects are often drastic: many of the patients can no longer work, not only lose their job, but also the connection in society. An estimated 17 to 20 million people are affected worldwide.
In their book about ME/CFS, doctor Gitta Meier and journalist Nils Winkler explain the disease, draw parallels to Long Covid and thus use the opportunity to draw attention to this suffering in the wake of the pandemic.
Because the disease affects the entire organ system, treatment is difficult. Here are a few approaches:
- Pacing: plan your everyday life well, manage with energy reserves
- Coping: develop new coping strategies
- meditation and relaxation
- Help apheresis: a special type of blood washing
- oxygen therapy
Nils Winkler, Gitta Meier: “ME/CFS – The Monster After”, Verlag Nova, 22.70 euros
Source: Nachrichten
