Lack of exercise, a lot of mobile phones and computers to use social media, but little contact with friends – parents and children report on this in the practice of Daniela Kasparek, a specialist in paediatrics and youth medicine in Vienna. Up to 200 children are cared for in this group practice every day. In addition to increasing obesity, psychological problems have increased, which are also expressed in headaches and abdominal pain.
“This pain has increased by 40 to 60 percent, we see that much more often than before the pandemic,” said the pediatrician in an interview with Ö1. First, possible organic causes are always clarified – i.e. an abdominal ultrasound and a blood test are carried out. But, according to Kasparek: “In my opinion, the most important thing is the conversation with the child and the parents. Because 90 percent of abdominal pain is psychological.”
Displacement of infectious diseases
Other diseases have decreased – such as viral infections: “That was remarkable. Pediatric medicine is a so-called seasonal business. We have most illnesses from October to March – and that wasn’t the case this time.”
The coronavirus measures have turned that upside down, according to the pediatrician. The influenza has largely failed, and other infections have not occurred while the measures were in place. “When we opened up, we worked as much in the summer as we usually do in the winter – so it turned around completely.” In these phases, many children were hit hard because they were not exposed to the usual infections for a long time and the immune system was not trained as usual.
Long-term normalization
Daniela Kasparek hopes for relaxation and normalization, but also says: “Psychological changes, weight gain, changed behavior – these are long-term changes that have to be compensated for in the long term through care and special projects.”
From the pediatrician’s point of view, the measures taken during the pandemic have had more of an impact on children’s health than the illness caused by the virus itself. With regard to autumn, she advocates vaccinating children – and leaving schools, kindergartens and sports facilities open at all costs, too when a new virus variant emerges.