My life stood still
It started with vomiting in the middle of the night. These things happen, thought Tim, a fourth-year student at Fontys ICT. Probably something I ate, he thought. “But I didn't recover. In fact, I started experiencing all kinds of symptoms, such as extreme fatigue and pain in my stomach.” It turned out to be the start of an almost endless search. “I used to run half marathons. Now I couldn't even walk down the street because I couldn't stand on my legs. My muscles barely worked for weeks. At one point, I had such severe stomach pain that I went to the emergency room. There, I was given very strong painkillers and sent home.”
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Tim is certainly not the only young person affected by long COVID. Leoni van Dijk, researcher at Fontys Paramedisch: 'According to the RIVM, approximately 3 per cent of young people between the ages of 12 and 25 have persistent symptoms after COVID. This means that young people are just as likely to be victims of long COVID as adults. We do not know exactly how many young people have long COVID; there is no national registry (yet) because long COVID is hardly recognised. We now say that something is long COVID if all other possible conditions have been ruled out."
Consequences in daily life
Van Dijk studied physiotherapy, followed by a master's degree in paediatric physiotherapy. She is now doing her PhD at Fontys University of Applied Sciences and the Tranzo department of Tilburg University on a study of long COVID among young adults. The idea to devote a PhD research project to this came from our Board of Directors. They saw the impact long COVID was having on our students and employees. More and more of them were dropping out. That was worrying. In her research, Van Dijk focuses on the consequences of long COVID for the patient. “So I'm not doing biomedical research on the disease itself, but on the consequences of long COVID on the daily functioning of young people, with a focus on physical, social and emotional aspects; think of 'brain fog”, extreme exhaustion, loneliness and life goals that come under pressure. My research may lead to the development of various forms of support for young adults with long COVID.'
Students help with research
Tim Brouwers is a student at Fontys ICT and is involved in research conducted by Van Dijk's colleague Manon Peeters, who, as co-supervisor, ensures that Leoni's research meets all the requirements set by the scientific community. As a professor in Health Innovations & Technology, Peeters is involved in the application of sensors in healthcare, such as wearables (smartwatches) that could support long COVID patients. Peeters: 'The ICT and Paramedical institutes are collaborating on this research. That is why Tim is affiliated with our research as a student. This way of working is typical of Fontys: students contribute to research in the form of learning assignments while they are still studying. In this case, Tim is learning a lot about the technical processing of sensor data, the development of a meaningful app and the ethical processing of this data from people with long COVID. It's a win-win situation."
Tim has also shared his experiences as a long COVID patient with Van Dijk; she is incorporating his findings into her PhD research, which has recently been expanded with a ZonMw grant. Van Dijk: 'This enables us to expand our research team and further investigate data from the RIVM. The RIVM has a wealth of data; the trick is to distil the information that may be relevant to my research. This could yield valuable information, particularly about possible differences in the effects of long COVID on younger and older people.'
Long COVID has turned Tim's life upside down. “Festivals are no longer an option for me. Fortunately, I am getting to know my limits better and better and have managed to adapt my lifestyle. I hardly go out anymore and I no longer drink alcohol, for example. That makes me feel better. Things are going a lot better now; I have already run two half marathons.”
Van Dijk hopes that her research will contribute to a better understanding of people like Tim. 'Because we still have no idea what long COVID is, people with long COVID like Tim are currently left to fend for themselves. There are still people who claim that long COVID does not exist and is all in the mind. That is definitely not true. We now know that long COVID affects the muscles and disrupts the nervous system. It causes physical symptoms, and it is important that we find out how to treat them. At Fontys University of Applied Sciences, we want to contribute to knowledge and solutions that give young people perspective and that feed into our education and research, so that in a few years' time we will be able to offer people with long COVID appropriate care.'
