Gonzalo herman
11/02/2020 10:31
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 11/02/2020 10:31
One of the worst crazy things that fear of having covid generates is believing that it is the only disease that could harm a person's health.
There is so much attention paid to the daily numbers of people
infected and killed
by the coronavirus that at this point people have the illusion that avoiding getting infected with covid is protecting their health in a comprehensive way.
Not only this is not true.
But there are also many other diseases and health disorders that are much worse and that, because they are not controlled or diagnosed due to fear of contagion, have a much higher mortality rate.
For seven months now, associations of doctors and groups of specialists have been warning of the danger posed by having the entire health system dedicated exclusively to treating cases of covid.
They warn that many patients, for fear of being infected, do not control themselves, suspend treatments or miss diagnostic shifts, which
worsens their health
in the case of suffering from any disease.
Against this background, Adecra + Cedim, the national chamber that brings together clinics, sanatoriums, private hospitals and outpatient diagnosis and treatment centers, warned, through a report, about the collapse in medical consultations since the beginning of the pandemic and the risks of neglecting other pathologies for fear of contagion by COVID-19.
"According to our latest monthly survey, carried out on associated health centers, total emergency consultations suffered a drop of 52% in September 2020, compared to September 2019," they indicated from the Association and highlighted that " institutions were prepared with all the security measures and protocols ”.
"Heart attacks, strokes, lung diseases, cancer, diabetes, left to their own devices or
with neglect of prevention and diagnosis, will not be able to less than cause increasing damage
,
" they
remarked from the camera and urged "to retake the controls preventive and diagnostic doctors, the reevaluation of treatments, procedures or interventions already agreed with the treating doctors and then postponed due to the pandemic, which are essential ”, remarked Alberto Alves de Lima, Medical Director of the ICBA (Cardiovascular Institute) and member of the Adecra + Cedim Medical Directors Commission.
“It is key that we keep social distancing and barrier measures and, aware of this, we continue to take care of our health.
With post-pandemic?
No, with a pandemic ”, he summarized.
The study carried out by the institutions measured the interannual variation in the number of consultations registered for different pathologies.
When comparing September 2020 with the same month in 2019, it was seen that the decrease in all benefits
was 33% on average.
"The indicators of chemotherapy and radiation therapy were the ones with the smallest drop (8%) with respect to the same month of the previous year, while total consultations for emergencies suffered the greatest decrease (52%)", the report indicates.
In addition, the interannual variations in the April-September periods were analyzed and it was concluded that “the benefits that fell the most were digestive endoscopies, emergency consultations, and surgeries, both general and cardiac, although, in the month of analysis, the latter registered falls of less than 50% ”.
The study exemplified some of the falls: "Within the six inter-annual periods analyzed, digestive endoscopies fell by 80% in what is April, 73% (May), 63% (June), 71% (July), 70% (August) and 47% (September), while total consultations for emergencies decreased by 74% (April), 69% (May), 70% (June), 62% (July), 56% (August) and 52% (September) ”.
“Much of the control of major diseases is achieved with early detection and treatment, and in the case of acute symptoms, prompt arrival at equipped services is essential.
Receiving medical attention on time saves lives and is safe since the pandemic began, ”said the specialist.
Among the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) that cause the highest number of deaths in the country each year are
cardiovascular and encephalovascular diseases:
almost one hundred thousand people die per year from this cause.
According to a study by the Argentine Society of Cardiology (SAC), the Argentine Federation of Cardiology (FAC) and the Argentine College of Interventional Cardioangiologists (CACI), "under-care of patients could cause between six thousand and nine thousand additional deaths due to cardiovascular diseases ”.
They also warned that the changes in habits related to the pandemic
"increased the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases by between 25% and 35%."
In this sense, they highlighted that the activity of detection and treatment "well proven" - with drugs, diagnostic catheterizations, angioplasties, bypass surgeries and other procedures - is key in the approach to these diseases
Cancer is another problem.
"The reduction in chemo and radiotherapy sessions anticipates an increase in cancer mortality," declared the chamber about another of the NCDs that causes the highest number of deaths in Argentina.
Thus, colon cancer diagnoses were taken as an example: “Every year 13 thousand cases are diagnosed in the country.
The combination of laboratory tests with colonoscopy allows early diagnosis and access to early treatment, often in the same study.
If the drop in studies is prolonged, an increase in late diagnoses and a worse prognosis will be inevitable ”, warn the specialists who made the report.
