How COVID-19 Pandemic Increased Mental Health Issues, Malaria, and Heart Disease? Study Sheds Light
Disruptions in healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic led to significant increases in illness and death from non-COVID causes such as mental health conditions, malaria in young children, and cardiovascular disease in older adults, according to a new study published in The BMJ.
During the pandemic, many healthcare systems were strained or shut down, interrupting routine care and management for chronic and infectious diseases. To better understand the global fallout, researchers in China analyzed data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. They simulated the burden of 174 health conditions across 204 countries and territories for the years 2020 and 2021, focusing on measures such as incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).
Mental health disorders saw one of the sharpest increases. New cases of depressive disorders rose by 23% in 5-14-year-olds, the study found. DALY rates for depressive and anxiety disorders increased by 12% and 14% respectively, with particularly high rates among females. Similarly, age-standardised incidence and prevalence rates for depressive disorders rose by 14% and 10%, while anxiety disorders saw a 15% rise.
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