新冠疫情對人類健康有哪些次生災(zāi)害？
Verne Kopytoff
2021-04-06
新冠疫情對全球健康產(chǎn)生的影響，遠(yuǎn)比疫情導(dǎo)致的住院和死亡人數(shù)更加嚴(yán)重。事實證明，在疫情期間，許多人放棄了常規(guī)醫(yī)學(xué)篩查或者體重增加。
這種情況造成的結(jié)果就是一場不為人知的健康危機。
錯過醫(yī)學(xué)篩查意味著許多人的癌癥診斷被延誤——假如他們知道自己的病情。這么做的結(jié)果導(dǎo)致他們要接受更復(fù)雜的治療，面臨更大的感染風(fēng)險，存活率也被降低。
與此同時，許多人因為疫情期間的壓力和封鎖而無法健身，因此體重增加。在美國心理學(xué)會（American Psychological Association）一項自我報告的研究中，40%的受訪者表示在疫情期間增加的體重超出預(yù)期，平均增加了29磅。當(dāng)然，肥胖癥會增加人們患糖尿病和高血壓的風(fēng)險，這可能造成嚴(yán)重的長期健康問題。
急診科醫(yī)生、喬治華盛頓大學(xué)（George Washington University）健康政策與管理客座教授溫麟衍（Leana Wen）表示，更糟糕的是，在疫情期間因為過量用藥而死亡的人數(shù)增加，兒童免疫接種的比例“大幅下降”，兒童鉛中毒的篩查率也急劇減少。醫(yī)療行業(yè)尤其是許多公共衛(wèi)生設(shè)施早在疫情之前就已經(jīng)面臨壓力，新冠疫情讓它們徹底不堪重負(fù)，無法采取預(yù)防措施。
在《財富》健康頭腦風(fēng)暴大會于上周舉辦的在線研討會上，溫麟衍稱：“整整一年，我們都在把醫(yī)療資源向其他方面傾斜。這并不像是一場颶風(fēng)襲擊一個地區(qū)，在幾天或幾周之后就能夠恢復(fù)，這次可是持續(xù)了整整一年。”
醫(yī)生們表示，補救措施是醫(yī)療保健行業(yè)應(yīng)該努力鼓勵人們接受測試或檢測。例如，牙醫(yī)可以對患者進(jìn)行糖尿病和高血壓檢查，無論這些檢查與洗牙或補牙是否完全無關(guān)。
霍華德大學(xué)（Howard University）校長、查爾斯·R·德魯外科教授韋恩·弗雷德里克醫(yī)生表示：“實際上，我們會查看患者名單，聯(lián)系患有糖尿病或高血壓或者有家族病史的患者，鼓勵他們接受篩查。”
不過令人高興的一點是，疫情使多個健康領(lǐng)域有所改善。或許最明顯的是社交隔離、戴口罩和勤洗手等措施讓流感患者人數(shù)大幅減少。
弗雷德里克醫(yī)生說：“因為新冠疫情而去世的人數(shù)確實驚人。但感染流感的患者人數(shù)大幅減少，因為我們應(yīng)對疫情的許多措施對流感產(chǎn)生了間接影響。”（財富中文網(wǎng)）
譯者：劉進(jìn)龍
審校：汪皓
新冠疫情對全球健康產(chǎn)生的影響，遠(yuǎn)比疫情導(dǎo)致的住院和死亡人數(shù)更加嚴(yán)重。事實證明，在疫情期間，許多人放棄了常規(guī)醫(yī)學(xué)篩查或者體重增加。
這種情況造成的結(jié)果就是一場不為人知的健康危機。
錯過醫(yī)學(xué)篩查意味著許多人的癌癥診斷被延誤——假如他們知道自己的病情。這么做的結(jié)果導(dǎo)致他們要接受更復(fù)雜的治療，面臨更大的感染風(fēng)險，存活率也被降低。
與此同時，許多人因為疫情期間的壓力和封鎖而無法健身，因此體重增加。在美國心理學(xué)會（American Psychological Association）一項自我報告的研究中，40%的受訪者表示在疫情期間增加的體重超出預(yù)期，平均增加了29磅。當(dāng)然，肥胖癥會增加人們患糖尿病和高血壓的風(fēng)險，這可能造成嚴(yán)重的長期健康問題。
急診科醫(yī)生、喬治華盛頓大學(xué)（George Washington University）健康政策與管理客座教授溫麟衍（Leana Wen）表示，更糟糕的是，在疫情期間因為過量用藥而死亡的人數(shù)增加，兒童免疫接種的比例“大幅下降”，兒童鉛中毒的篩查率也急劇減少。醫(yī)療行業(yè)尤其是許多公共衛(wèi)生設(shè)施早在疫情之前就已經(jīng)面臨壓力，新冠疫情讓它們徹底不堪重負(fù)，無法采取預(yù)防措施。
在《財富》健康頭腦風(fēng)暴大會于上周舉辦的在線研討會上，溫麟衍稱：“整整一年，我們都在把醫(yī)療資源向其他方面傾斜。這并不像是一場颶風(fēng)襲擊一個地區(qū)，在幾天或幾周之后就能夠恢復(fù)，這次可是持續(xù)了整整一年。”
醫(yī)生們表示，補救措施是醫(yī)療保健行業(yè)應(yīng)該努力鼓勵人們接受測試或檢測。例如，牙醫(yī)可以對患者進(jìn)行糖尿病和高血壓檢查，無論這些檢查與洗牙或補牙是否完全無關(guān)。
霍華德大學(xué)（Howard University）校長、查爾斯·R·德魯外科教授韋恩·弗雷德里克醫(yī)生表示：“實際上，我們會查看患者名單，聯(lián)系患有糖尿病或高血壓或者有家族病史的患者，鼓勵他們接受篩查。”
不過令人高興的一點是，疫情使多個健康領(lǐng)域有所改善。或許最明顯的是社交隔離、戴口罩和勤洗手等措施讓流感患者人數(shù)大幅減少。
弗雷德里克醫(yī)生說：“因為新冠疫情而去世的人數(shù)確實驚人。但感染流感的患者人數(shù)大幅減少，因為我們應(yīng)對疫情的許多措施對流感產(chǎn)生了間接影響。”（財富中文網(wǎng)）
譯者：劉進(jìn)龍
審校：汪皓
COVID had a far greater impact on global health than the numbers of total hospitalizations and deaths may suggest. Many people, it turns out, have avoided routine medical screenings or gained weight during the pandemic.
The result: a hidden health crisis.
Missed screenings mean that some people are diagnosed with cancer later than they otherwise would have been—if they even know at all. As a consequence, their treatment is more complicated, the risk of infection greater, and their chance of survival is reduced.
Meanwhile, many people gained weight because of stress during the pandemic and lockdowns that made it difficult to exercise. In a self-reported study by the American Psychological Association, 40% of individuals said they had gained more weight during the pandemic than they had intended, with an average increase of 29 pounds. Obesity, of course, puts people at greater risk of diabetes and hypertension, which can cause serious long-term health problems.
To make matters worse, overdose deaths climbed during the pandemic, child immunizations “fell off a cliff,” and child lead poisoning screenings have declined precipitously, according to Dr. Leana Wen, emergency physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at George Washington University. In many cases, the health care industry, and particularly public health facilities that were under strain even before the pandemic, have been pushed to the brink by COVID and are unable to be proactive.
“We’ve been diverting resources elsewhere for a year,” Wen said last week during an online panel for Fortune Brainstorm Health. “It’s not like there’s a hurricane, and it strikes a region for a few days or weeks, and then you recover—this is a year.”
The remedy, doctors said, is an effort throughout the health care industry to encourage people to be tested or treated. A dentist, for example, could screen patients for diabetes and high-blood pressure—never mind that such tests are totally unrelated to cleaning teeth or filling cavities.
“We’re actually going through our patient list and calling anybody with diabetes or hypertension, anybody with a family history, and encouraging them to be screened,” said Dr. Wayne Frederick, president and Charles R. Drew professor of surgery at Howard University.
On the bright side, the pandemic has improved the situation in a few areas of health. Perhaps none is more obvious than the number of people who catch the flu, which has dropped significantly because of social distancing, masks, and increased hand washing.
“So yes, we have lost people to coronavirus at an alarming number,” said Dr. Frederick. “But flu infections are down significantly because some of the practices we’ve had to institute for the pandemic have had a secondary impact on the flu.”
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