🧠💔 When the body says: enough
Chronic COVID-19 can present in a variety of ways, but the most common symptom is persistent fatigue. This is not just exhaustion, but extreme fatigue that goes beyond normal weakness. Dr. Cohen describes it as intense exhaustion, even after a good night’s sleep.
😵💫 If we add dizziness, constant slowing down, memory or vision problems, every task becomes a challenge.
🔬 According to research from Yale University, about half of people with chronic COVID-19 meet the criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome – a little-known and often underestimated condition.
💼 Chronic COVID-19 doesn’t just affect your health. It also affects your career, social relationships, and emotional well-being. Dr. Cohen – like one in ten people affected in the United States – has been forced to significantly scale back his professional activities.
❤️🫁🧠 Very real effects on the heart, lungs… and brain.
💸 Many patients struggle with loss of income, medical bills, and loneliness. Some are forced to choose between rent and medical visits.
📉 Meanwhile, scientific research has stalled, its progress hampered by declining public interest and declining funding.
🧠🫁❤️ Long-term COVID effects – contrary to popular belief – don’t just affect the brain. They leave lasting marks on the body:
- 🫁 Pulmonary fibrosis, which causes breathing difficulties.
- ❤️ Chronic heart inflammation.
🫀 POTS syndrome (postural orthostatic tachycardia): the heart starts beating faster with even the slightest change in body position.
🛡️ And most importantly: due to a weakened immune system, even everyday infections become much more dangerous.
🗣️ Dr. Cohen emphasizes: “This is not laziness. This is not psychosomatics. This is a real, multi-organ disease that we still barely understand.”
🌱 Is there hope? There are clues, but there is no cure yet.
🧪 Dr. Cohen is involved in clinical trials of promising therapies, such as Paxlovid. The results are encouraging, but so far limited: only 5 of the 13 patients studied have experienced temporary improvement.
📆 The pandemic has been going on for five years. There is currently no officially approved treatment for chronic COVID-19.
💪 The fight continues, but the road is long. Dr. Cohen is extremely careful to avoid a relapse – he even avoids public places. For him, wearing a mask is not a choice, but a necessity.
🫂 A call to listen and understand
Millions are currently struggling with the persistent symptoms of COVID-19. They don’t always receive a clear diagnosis or appropriate treatment – often because the disease remains hidden.
📖 Dr. Cohen’s story reminds us that someone can be both a doctor and a victim. That they can know the disease… and yet suffer from it.
❓ Are you or someone you know suffering from chronic COVID-19?
📢 Share this story to break the silence around this still taboo disease.