Health centre opens for kids suffering from long COVID syndrome

The nr. 1 pediatric clinic in Debrecen will open a long-term ambulance for those children who already underwent the coronavirus disease and are showing symptoms even 1-2 months after they caught the virus.

According to semmelweis.hu, the new health centre will open for those who still have stubborn symptoms deteriorating the quality of their life even 6-8 weeks after they caught the disease. The so-called post-COVID syndrome may have many symptoms. Therefore,

several medical branches will be present in the new health centre.

During the second and third waves, not only the number of infections broke records. Many children also caught the virus. Dr Péter Krivácsy, the leader of the emergency care department of the nr. 1 pediatric clinic in Debrecen, said that the number of those who show symptoms even 6-8 weeks after they caught the disease rose significantly in the past few months. Furthermore, these symptoms deteriorate the quality of their life.

The symptoms vary in a wide range, from headaches, tiredness, losing weight, dizziness, and discomfort to cardiovascular problems and even abdominal pain.

If kids show any of these permanently and even 1.5-2 months after they caught the disease, they should turn to a doctor.

Interestingly, papers focus on adults regarding the long COVID syndrome. Therefore, in the case of children, the literature is lacking. However, since the doctors in the clinic met many kids who turned to them because of this problem, they felt that they have to act. As a result, they created a new health centre.

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Since there are a lot of types of symptoms, they tried to involve colleagues from different medical branches: cardiologists, pulmonologists, gastroenterologists, psychiatrists, and neurologists. They monitor the quality of life and the change in the kids’ symptoms every month.

Therefore, they expect patients between the ages of 0 and 18, but based on their experience, the long COVID syndrome affects mostly schoolchildren and adolescents. The health centre will start with a two-hour-long consultation,

on Wednesdays between 8 and 10 am.

However, if there is a demand, they will extend this period.

Parents can book an appointment on the website of the hospital, and patients can come from every part of the country. Mr Krivácsy highlighted that they still do not know enough about the runoff of the disease. That is why it is crucial to continuously monitor the health state of the kids.

Source: semmelweis.hu