Long Covid comes with a range of different symptoms. In order to develop therapies, research into the causes of Long Covid is necessary, which will be discussed further. For this reason, the official S1 guideline for the treatment of long/post Covid is approaching therapy about common complaints and their causes. In this article, we present symptom-based treatment options that can help make everyday life easier.

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Treatment options for fatigue

There is currently no causal, i.e. treatment aimed at the cause, for the treatment of fatigue. However, attempts are being made to prevent chronicity with non-drug methods and thus alleviate the symptoms of fatigue. These methods include sleep promotion, pain management, circulatory support and stress reduction measures. In addition, promoting adequate coping behavior can be helpful, i.e. teaching those affected healthy strategies to deal with the disease.

Depending on individual symptoms (physical, cognitive and/or emotional), dosed physical training, cognitive performance training, and/or psychotherapeutic or psychopharmacological treatment may be used.

Doctors should also instruct their patients to use pacing to prevent crashes (you can find out exactly what that is and how it can help with long Covid in the blog post on the topic Pacing). Information about the disease and how to deal with it in everyday life can also be helpful.

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Treatment options for respiratory problems

One of the most common symptoms that people report after an infection with the coronavirus is shortness of breath. This describes the feeling of being quickly out of breath and therefore no longer being as efficient. This can be very stressful because everyday performance suffers as a result. If shortness of breath occurs, it is urgently recommended to avoid negative factors such as smoking, pollutants in the air, extreme air temperatures and physical overexertion. Other options include:

Certain breathing exercises and lung rehab may be helpful. This consists primarily of respiratory physiotherapy, physical training and patient training so that patients can better understand and deal with their illness. But smoking cessation and psychosocial counseling are also included.

Certain postures can relieve the body of breathing so that you can breathe more easily. The World Health Organization recommends the following attitudes:

There are numerous exercise options. Controlled breathing and also timed breathing can lead to conscious perception and control of breathing and thus positively influence breathing and thus performance.

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psychotherapy

Depending on the individual state of health, in addition to treating physical complaints, your psychological well-being can also be addressed in therapy. Psychotherapeutic treatment is useful when there is a confirmed clinical diagnosis or the burden on those affected is so great that the quality of life is significantly reduced. If the doctor suspects a change in mental health (persistent exhaustion (fatigue), persistent depression, unfounded fears, loss of quality of life, etc.), an appropriate diagnosis should be carried out at an early stage. As a result, appropriate therapy can be started to prevent the symptoms from becoming chronic and to reduce emotional distress.

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Medicinal therapies

Due to the high number of cases and the sometimes long-lasting consequences of an infection, the development of drugs against COVID-19 has become very interesting for research. In fact, there has already been progress in this field, which we would like to address here as an example. However, we do not claim to be exhaustive, of course. If you would like to know more about the medical treatment of a coronavirus or long Covid infection, you should ask your doctor for more information.

Basically, it can be said that patients with an intact immune system and complete vaccination protection do not require early drug treatment for a COVID-19 infection. Through vaccination, the immune system is prepared for the viruses and can fight them faster and more actively. Doctors may consider using antiviral drugs for patients who nevertheless have an increased risk of severe Covid or who are suspected that the vaccination has not provided adequate protection. This is relevant for Long Covid in that it can reduce damage (e.g. permanent lung damage) that could occur during a severe course of Covid-19 and help the body fight the virus.

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sustenance

In addition to medical and exercise-based therapies, diet can also play a major role in therapy. It makes sense because 40-75% of Covid patients can lose smell and taste. These sensory deficiencies in smell and taste can also be linked to anxiety and depressed mood. Poor mental health can contribute to malnutrition.

There is evidence from initial studies that a plant-based diet can help with symptoms that also occur during long Covid. The plant-based diet is also recommended as it reduces the amount of inflammation-promoting substances in the body. Fruit and vegetables provide a whole range of important vitamins, fiber, minerals, trace elements as well as plant substances and antioxidants. Highly processed foods, on the other hand, are often low in important nutrients and are therefore more likely to promote inflammation in the body. Of course, not all dietary recommendations are valid for all patients — individual advice is therefore important. For example, various incompatibilities can be taken into account. So look at what for you works.

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