It is the Prime Minister who says it: deconfinement "is not for tomorrow". For several days, the government seems to prepare the French to maintain measures to restrict freedoms, while the peak of contamination is clearly not yet reached. Citizens who must take their troubles patiently and stay as much as possible in their homes, except in emergencies. A situation that could last all the more because - it is always Edouard Philippe who says it - the deconfinement will undoubtedly operate in several stages.
And here are the French who are required to work from home, to eat at home. Jogging is always allowed, but within a radius of one kilometer and for an hour maximum. Still, not all French people have necessarily taken the habit of putting on shorts and jogging to stretch their legs and exercise. So we can wonder what will be, in the short or medium term, the consequences of confinement on health.
Chronic diseases cause the greatest fears
Since March 17, all trips by French people must be justified. And if outings for health reasons are logically authorized, it would seem that some people apply the instructions too strictly, to the point of depriving themselves of appointments yet deemed necessary by doctors. "This is our greatest fear in relation to this confinement," says Dr. Bensoussan, general practitioner and secretary general of the French Federation of General Practitioners. Some of our patients have heard the instructions so stay at home that they do not even travel for consultations that are necessary ”.
Some general practitioners estimate the fall in their consultations at 75%. This is something to worry somewhat for the case of patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease. "The monitoring of these patients should not end with confinement," continues the doctor. Some must come every six months, but for others it is monthly. Consultations must continue. "
Manage anxiety
Thursday, November 2, the High Authority was also concerned about the case of these patients. "It is essential that these patients, who today no longer dare to call their doctor or go to the hospital, do not interrupt their care and follow-up," she wrote in a press release, inviting city doctors "To adopt a proactive attitude towards their most fragile patients".
Likewise, people who are psychologically fragile and even more so those suffering from psychiatric disorders must be closely monitored. "The risk of decompensation is high, we must remain vigilant," continues Dr. Bensoussan. "I have patients who verbalize their difficulties in supporting confinement," explains Doctor Matthieu Calafiore, general practitioner and director of the department of general medicine at the University of Lille. But I also have some who come to confide in me anxieties that they have not identified. It is by digging a little that we realize that they are linked to confinement. The human being carries within him a feeling of invulnerability which is undermined and which is shaken. "
In the coming weeks, these anxieties may well increase in vigor in some patients. “We cannot speak of a state of post-traumatic stress since we are still in trauma. But it will then be necessary to deal with conditions comparable to those of soldiers returning from the front, even if the degree of trauma is not the same. "
Weight gain and muscle loss
Beyond these different cases, the doctors invite all French people, including those who do not suffer from any particular pathology, to take their precautions. According to them, it is understood that containment will have repercussions if care is not taken.
"In the short term there will be fairly common problems, starting with weight gain which will be directly linked to the lack of physical activity," explains Dr. Calafiore. It is important to be all the more vigilant as there will also be a loss of muscle capacity, to the benefit, therefore, of fat cells. "
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These cases of “muscular atrophy”, as Dr. Bensoussan also anticipates, could trigger health problems in the medium term. "This can potentially affect everyone. It is a risk factor for the appearance of cardiovascular problems, with blocked arteries. Risks further aggravated if the French do not pay enough attention to their lifestyle. "What I note is that there is a tendency during periods of confinement to increase the aperitifs on video, and therefore the consumption of alcohol ... The body needs regularity, we must not shake up all the benchmarks. "
To combat these dangers, doctors do not recommend suddenly changing into a top athlete. “It is not a question of lifting cast iron, reassures Doctor Calafiore. My grandmother said the less we do, the less we want to do it , that's what we have to fight against. "
Small and simple habits can thus be established. Take the stairs, make several trips to get what you need when you are lucky enough to have a floor ... Do small exercises with a simple chair, which would serve as weight, using applications or dedicated TV programs. The time of a quarter of an hour, or half an hour for the most valiant.
