A Dublin mother has said Long Covid has had a devastating impact on her 12-year-old daughter.
Natalie Kilbane from Clarehall has three children and two have developed Long Covid.
One of them Lara developed Covid-19 three years ago. Since then, she has suffered a range of symptoms of Long Covid.
These include headaches, spiking temperatures, nausea and profound exhaustion. She also has joint pain.
Mrs Kilbane said the condition has badly affected Lara's schooling and she has missed many days.
"She might have gone to school for maybe two hours; she could be two days trying to recover, lying on the couch or in bed. Headaches, nausea, abdominal pain. Multiple temperatures a day - joint pain, muscle pain."
She said that when Lara developed Covid-19 she fully expected her to recover.
"She has never recovered and it has had a devastating impact on her life and on family life," she added.
Because one of her sons also has Long Covid, Natalie has given up work as a nurse.
The children have been seen by healthcare professionals but there has been no cure.
Mrs Kilbane also said there has been little discussion about Long Covid in children.
It comes as a major review of Long Covid by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) found that no definitively effective treatments have yet been identified.
It says that Long Covid is a complex condition involving a wide range of symptoms that can be debilitating and vary significantly from person to person.
The most common symptoms include fatigue, cognitive impairment, memory loss and confusion, loss of smell and shortness of breath.
HIQA's review looked at 57 randomised controlled trials internationally that considered interventions for adults with symptoms of Long Covid.
A wide range of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions were identified, with most only examined in single studies.
These studies were generally small, had short follow-up periods and typically only included people who had symptoms for less than a year.
HIQA said that along with no definitively effective treatments identified, there was also limited reporting on the safety of these interventions.
Deputy Director of Health Technology Assessment at HIQA Michelle O'Neill said that a clear treatment pathway for Long Covid remains unknown.
She said that further research on the long-term safety and effectiveness of the interventions looked at in the review is required.
A better understanding of the pathophysiology of Long Covid would help researchers in designing more targeted help to address the complex nature of the condition, she said.
HIQA said that, in the meantime, healthcare professionals should provide a holistic, person-centered approach to the assessment and management of people with Long Covid.
There are hundreds of ongoing trials investigating potential interventions to manage the symptoms of Long Covid.
HIQA said that this may lead to further evidence regarding potentially safe and effective interventions.
The HSE says that it has six Long Covid clinics which have been operating since last March and have seen thousands of patients.
A number of advocacy and charity organisations offer advice to people in Ireland with Long Covid and are contactable at longcovidadvocacyireland.com and longcovidkids.org.
