children

Months following hers Corona– Maarte Preller still finds it difficult to climb stairs due to the illness. The 33-year-old was infected with the corona virus in March 2020. Today she is still struggling with the consequences of the disease. “I have had Long-Covid for 17 months,” said the Graz native in an interview in the “Kleine Zeitung” podcast. “In relation to the beginning of the illness, I can do a little bit more. I can now get out of my apartment twice a day. But I still cannot work or cope with a normal everyday life.”

Now read: 4. Vaccination dose increases the number of antibodies by five times

“Only the sixth doctor took me seriously”

The 33-year-old has been dependent on the help of friends, family and neighbors since she fell ill. “I can only function on a small scale. My energy budget is very limited.” Loud noises, lots of people, or a long conversation can make Preller’s symptoms worse. “In my case, that means that if I overdo it, I have to lie flat the next day and stay in bed all day.”

The woman from Graz had to stay in quarantine for six weeks because of her Covid disease. “I had a mild course and then recovered well.” But shortly following the recovery, a major setback followed. “For me it came out of nowhere. In August I suddenly felt very bad. I mightn’t place where it came from.” Maarte suffered a “crash”, a rapid deterioration in her health. The woman from Graz might no longer work and went to doctor following doctor. “Back then, very little was known regarding Long Covid. It took me from the end of August to the end of November to find a doctor who would take me seriously. That was the case with the sixth doctor. All five doctors I saw before sent me away. ”

Now read: Significantly more children in hospital due to Covid in 2021

Long Covid cases might increase due to Omikron

When she finally got the diagnosis, Preller decided to have her own support group for long-covid sufferers. “For me, the long period of despair and excessive demands was a reason to found the group. So that other affected people have a place to turn to.” There are now almost 1,500 Long Covid patients in the Facebook group. How many Austrians are affected by the disease is difficult to say. It is currently estimated that around 100,000 people are affected. Through Omikron The numbers might also rise rapidly in long covid cases.

Whether you have a severe or mild course does not play a role in the disease of Long-Covid. The disease can also occur following a symptom-free course. Young people and women are particularly hard hit. But also with Children Long-Covid occurs more and more frequently. In an interview with “Today”The mother of five-year-old Alissia tells how the disease has turned her everyday life completely upside down. Like many other children, the daughter of the Lower Austrian was treated in the “kokon” rehabilitation center in Bad Erlach.

Now read: Even a mild course of Covid-19 damages organs

We get new cases every week and fear that it will get worse in the coming weeks, “says the medical director Prim. Dr. Anna Maria Cavini. According to the pediatrician, the most common long-covid symptoms are exhaustion, sleep disorders and muscle pain , Abdominal headaches and body aches with the slightest exertion, concentration and memory disorders, and circulatory problems.