Abstract

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing global pandemic affecting all levels of health systems. This includes the care of patients with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) who bear a disproportionate burden of both COVID-19 itself and the public health measures enacted to combat it. In this review, we summarize major COVID-19 related considerations for NCD patients and their care providers, focusing on cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal, hematologic, oncologic, traumatic, obstetric/gynecologic, operative, psychiatric, rheumatologic/immunologic, neurologic, gastrointestinal, ophthalmologic, and endocrine disorders. Additionally, we offer a general framework for categorizing the pandemic's disruptions by disease-specific factors, direct health system factors, and indirect health system factors. We also provide references to major NCD medical specialty professional society statements and guidelines on COVID-19. COVID-19 and its control policies have already resulted in major disruptions to the screening, treatment, and surveillance of NCD patients. In addition, it differentially impacts those with pre-existing NCDs and may lead to de novo NCD sequelae. Likely, there will be long-term effects from this pandemic that will continue to affect practitioners and patients in this field for years to come.

View details for DOI 10.1111/joim.13184

View details for PubMedID 33020988