Guest articles
The process of seeking knowledge about Long COVID is progressing steadily. The findings cover medical, scientific and social aspects. In our ‘Discourse’ section, experts from various fields have their say on Long COVID to give their perspectives on the topic. This provides a comprehensive view of the Long COVID theme.
Guest Article: Katrin Kunert
This guest article by Katrin Kunert, Vice President of recreational, preventive and rehabilitation sports at the National Paralympic Committee Germany (DBS) e.V. places a focus on the holistic approach of rehabilitation exercise as a promising approach to addressing the diverse physical and psychological impairments of patients with Long COVID.
Published on 13.02.2024
Guest article: Anja Piel
Anja Piel, Member of the Federal Executive Board of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), explains in her guest article why Long COVID is a challenge for society as a whole and what is needed in order to better help those affected.
Published on 08.01.2024
Guest article: Peggy Heinz
In this guest article, Peggy Heinz, deputy CEO of NAKOS, the National Contact and Information Centre for the Encouragement and Support of Self-Help Groups, explains the development and added value of self-help groups in the context of Long COVID and Post COVID in Germany. She also talks about the structures needed to support and empower the self-help groups.
Published on 08.01.2024
Guest article: Dr. Daniel Vilser
The guest article by Dr. Daniel Vilser sheds light on the pathology of Long COVID from the perspective of a specialist in paediatrics and adolescent medicine. His demands to the policy-makers include a higher density of specialised facilities and the targeted funding of research projects in order to do justice to the special needs of children and adolescents as well as the complexity of the pathology.
Guest article: Prof. Dr. Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg
Prof. Dr. Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, President of the German Society for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Neurology (DGPPN), explains in his guest article why neuropsychiatric symptoms of Long COVID need to be taken more seriously when it comes to care and research in order to improve patients' quality of life.
Published on 13.10.2023
Guest article: Daniel Hattesohl
Daniel Hattesohl, founding member and chairman of the board of the German ME/CFS Society, addresses the special status of post-infectious diseases in medicine in his guest article. He focuses especially on the similarity of the symptoms of ME/CFS compared to those within a subgroup of those affected by Long-COVID.
Published on 05.10.2023
Guest article: Dr. med. Antje Gottberg
This guest article by Dr med. Antje Gottberg deals with the special challenges that the new Long COVID disease pattern poses for the healthcare system. In this context, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) was given the complex task by the legislature of developing a guideline for the care of those affected by Long COVID.
Published on: 09/29/2023
Guest article: Dr. Andreas Gassen
In his guest article, Dr Andreas Gassen, chairman of the board of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), highlights the special importance of general practitioners and specialists in private practice as the central points of contact for patients with post-COVID symptoms.
Published on: 09/21/2023
Guest contribution: Prof Dr Volker Köllner
Video contribution by Prof Dr Volker Köllner, German Society for Clinical Psychotherapy, Prevention and Psychosomatic Rehabilitation.
Published on 18.09.2023
Guest article: Christof Lawall
In his guest article, Christof Lawall, the managing director of the DEGEMED, addresses the role of outpatient and inpatient rehabilitation facilities for those affected by long COVID.
Published on: 09/15/2023
Guest article: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Jens Scholz
Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. mult. Jens Scholz, 1st Chairman of the Association of University Hospitals in Germany, states in this article the reasons why, from the point of view of the university hospitals, research is particularly necessary in order to provide patients suffering from Long COVID with the best possible care.
Published on: 09/08/2023
Guest contribution: Dr. rer. pol. Dominik Graf Von Stillfried
Video contribution by Dr Dominik Graf Von Stillfried, Chairman of the Board of the Central Institute of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in Germany (Zi).
Published on 08.09.2023
Guest article: Dr. Thomas G. Grobe, MPH
How common is Long COVID in Germany? An approximation based on routinely recorded data from health care
We define Long COVID as certain prolonged health impairments after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Long COVID can have different symptoms and can vary in severity. The guest article by Dr Thomas G. Grobe addresses the question of how many people in Germany are affected by Long COVID.
Published on: 09/08/2023
Guest article: Prof. Dr. Martin Walter
Prof. Dr. Martin Walter, Director of the University Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy in Jena, addresses the need for close cooperation between medical societies to pool expertise in health care, research and further education in the context of post-COVID syndrome (PCS) in his guest article.
Published on: 09/08/2023
Guest contribution: Dr. Matthias Meergans
Video contribution by Dr Matthias Meergans, Managing Director Research and Development of the German Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies
Published on 08.09.2023
Guest article: Dr. Martin Danner
In his guest article, Dr. Martin Danner, the chairman of the BAG Selbsthilfe, urges politicians to expand health care services for those suffering from Long COVID Syndrome, to promote self-help and to ensure further training for outpatient and inpatient doctors concerning the symptoms and treatment options of Long COVID Syndrome.
Published on: 09/08/2023
Guest article: Stefan Schwartze
Patients suffering from long-COVID are in urgent need of support, writes the Federal Government Commissioner for Patients, Stefan Schwartze MdB, in his guest article.
Published on: 09/08/2023
Guest article: Karin Maag
Providing faster and better care
The Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) is planning to adopt regulations on structured healthcare treatment courses for post-infectious syndromes such as Long COVID in Decem-ber 2023. Karin Maag, a bias-free member of the G-BA, explains the current status of the deliberations.
Published on: 09/07/2023
Guest article: Brigitte Gross
Brigitte Gross, director of Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund, reports in her opinion editorial on the positive effects of medical rehabilitation services for insured persons with severe long-term health consequences after an infection with the coronavirus.
Published on: 08/28/2023
Guest article: Prof. Dr. hab. Yasar Bilgin
In his guest article, Dr. med. Yasar Bilgin, as the 1st chairman of the TDG e. V., provides an outline of the special challenges faced by people with long-COVID who come from a migrant family background.
Published on: 08/17/2023
Guest article: Dr. med. (I) Klaus Reinhardt
Dr. Klaus Reinhardt, President of the German Medical Association, explains in this guest article what is needed from a medical, but also from a political, point of view to improve the diagnosis and treatment of Long COVID in Germany.
Date of publication: 03/08/2023
Guest article, by Prof. Scheibenbogen
The consequences of the pandemic: Post COVID and ME/CFS
There has been a long history of prolonged symptoms following viral infections. In the wake of the Corona pandemic and Long COVID, we are facing a new facet of the problem. Prof. Scheibenbogen outlines the prospects for the future in this guest article.
Published on: 07/12/2023
Guest article : Prof. Dr. Bernhard Schieffer
The post-COVID syndrome and current structural problems.
The Post COVID era poses challenges of a special kind to medicine and science, but also to the health care system. In a guest article, Prof. Bernhard Schieffer describes the problems caused due to the currently missing evidence-based methods for diagnostics and therapy, and provides an insight into the future.
Published on: 07/12/2023
Guest article: Ph.D. Akiko Iwasaki
The 4 root causes of Long COVID
Long COVID is estimated to affect 65 million people worldwide. It is a heterogeneous disease that is likely caused by several possible root causes (sources of the problem) that are not mutually exclusive. A guest contribution by Akiko Iwasaki discusses the possible 4 main causes of Long COVID.
Published on: 07/12/2023
Guest article: Prof. Dr. Clara Lehmann und Prof. Dr. Michael Hallek
The post-Covid syndrome is a severe somatic disease with biological causes, write guest authors Prof. Dr. Clara Lehmann and Prof. Dr. Michael Hallek in their joint guest article. They emphasise that it is not a psychosomatic disease.
Published on: 07/12/2023
