2023-06-11 13:42:54
COVID long
“And now they have to do even less”
To date, there is no treatment for long Covid syndrome, which can be very debilitating. Only pacing – systematic respect of one’s own effort limit – has proven itself. Explanations.
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In May 2022, an estimated 73,000 people were affected by long Covid syndrome in Switzerland, whose symptoms persist for at least 90 to 150 days after infection. Those affected suffer from a massive disability on a daily basis, with various symptoms: severe exhaustion even during little physical and cognitive effort, shortness of breath, severe difficulty concentrating, joint or muscle pain, etc. And, as the “NZZ” of the day writes, what is particularly characteristic of the syndrome is post-exercise malaise (PEM), called “crash” – a physical collapse after performing everyday tasks. Those affected then often stay in bed for days. And about 45% of them are no longer able to work full time.
A program adapted to energy variations
If we still do not know how to treat this syndrome, we now know that to avoid its aggravation, we can practice pacing. This has proven itself in other cases of exhaustion, for example as a result of cancer. The program takes into account the variation in the patient’s energy, and teaches him to systematically stay below the daily effort limit and to take breaks. This is not easy, but allows those affected to live better on a daily basis.
“At first, those affected are very shocked: they have already had to give up so much since their infection. And now they have to do even less. It’s difficult,” notes occupational therapist Tiziana Sägesser from Uster, who treats many affected people. “But from the moment when people with long Covid find that it allows them to get through the week better and regain control of their daily lives, they are very motivated.” To achieve this, it takes five to nine therapy sessions, depending on the occupational therapist.
The causes of the long Covid syndrome remain little known, as is the way to help those affected to manage their daily lives. “They are attested to psychosomatic diseases with a vengeance,” laments Carmen Scheibenbogen, immunologist at Charité (Paris) who studies this condition.
Patients are often sent to psychosomatic rehabilitation clinics with a strict program ranging from exercise to psychotherapy. However, the heart of the long Covid is intolerance to effort, notes the specialist. This activity therefore often leads to crashes and further aggravates the condition of the patient, some of whom end up in a wheelchair. Because the most trying for patients with this syndrome, according to specialists, are precisely the permanent crashes that set them back and destabilize them for weeks when they thought they were finally getting better.
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