COVID-19 is a malady caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2). The first case of this ailment was detected in Wuhan, China, before spreading to the rest of the world. In early March 2020, WHO publicly declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic, and it has since claimed thousands of lives. Common symptoms of this ailment include tiredness, cough, fever, and loss of smell or test. The spread of COVID-19 is preventable by observing social distancing, wearing a mask in public places, getting vaccinated, and visiting a doctor immediately after a person starts experiencing COVID-19-related symptoms. This paper delves into the relationship between COVID-19 and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). COVID-19 patients with underlying NCDs, including diabetes and hypertension, are more likely to experience fatal outcomes than others.
As governments and researchers focus on controlling this communicable disease, they should also consider the long-term effects of NCDs. This can affect the healthcare system’s sustainability by worsening the conditions of the patients with these underlying ailments. People with some of these NCDs, such as hypertension, are supposed to engage in regular physical activities to prevent them from getting ill. Due to the imposition of COVID-19 protocols to limit socialization, most recreation facilities were shut, thus barring NCD patients from exercising. Stoppage of these activities leads to acute health implications and thus compromises immunity; this makes the patient vulnerable to COVID-19 and its intense health impacts (Palmer et al., 2020). Exercises are essential for reducing the risk of developing chronic complications.
With the imposition of lockdown as a spread containment measure, cases of loneliness rose since there was a restriction on movements and interactions. People lost physical contact with their families, friends, and even colleagues. Such circumstances cause anxiety and stress, affecting a person’s general well-being by developing unhealthy diet behavior. In some cases, NCD patients felt vulnerable, which greatly affected their mental state, leading to depression. Additionally, people experiencing psychological disturbance have poor adherence or completely stop taking treatment for underlying conditions (Pécout et al., 2021). Defaulting on medication worsens the pre-existing condition and compromises immunity; this exposes the individual to the adverse effects of COVID-19.
Patients with pre-existing conditions experience increased angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2) receptor expressions that enable smooth entry of the COVID-19 virus into their bodies. Various body tissues, including the lungs, in NCD patients, have an increased number of these receptors, thus facilitating the entry and contraction of COVID-19. Moreover, Chronic illnesses may cause a hyperinflammatory response referred to as a cytokine storm, which is linked to the severity of pneumonia cases in COVID-19 patients (Nikoloski et al., 2021). Generally, most underlying conditions have predisposing factors to new infections, such as COVID-19, and may also significantly contribute to their severity.
In conclusion, the underlying health conditions significantly influence the severity of COVID-19 and the sustainability of the healthcare systems. The imposition of social distancing as a containment measure affected peoples’ exercise routines, predisposing them to the severity of their underlying conditions, such as hypertension, and consequently COVID-19. Lockdown barred people from seeing their families, friends, and colleagues, causing stress which may advance to depression; this leads to the development of unhealthy diet behavior, which affects the general well-being of a person, and alter the adherence to medication for pre-existing conditions. Some conditions lead to increased ACE2 receptors in the body tissues, which aids the entry of the COVID-19 virus into the human.
References
Nikoloski, Z., Alqunaibet, A. M., Alfawaz, R. A., Almudarra, S. S., Herbst, C. H., El-Saharty, S., Alsukait, R., & Algwizani, A. (2021). COVID-19 and Non-Communicable Diseases: Evidence From a Systematic Literature Review.BMC Public Health, 21(1).
Palmer, K., Monaco, A., Kivipelto, M., Onder, G., Maggi, S., Michel, J.-P., Prieto, R., Sykara, G., & Donde, S. (2020). The Potential Long-Term Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Patients With Non-Communicable Diseases in Europe: Consequences for Healthy Ageing. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 32(7), 1189–1194.
Pécout, C., Pain, E., Chekroun, M., Champeix, C., Kulak, C., Prieto, R., van Vugt, J., Gilchrist, K., & Lainé-Pellet, A.-F. (2021). Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patients Affected by Non-Communicable Diseases in Europe and in The USA.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(13), 6697.