Los problemas de salud más prevalentes en los estudiantes de Medicina: revisión de la literatura

Abstract

IntroductionThe prevalence of certain medical conditions appears to be increasing in medical students (MS) in relation to the general population according to studies conducted without a global focus. In-depth analysis of the existing literature is required in order to ascertain the predisposing factors in medical students for those highly prevalent medical conditions. MethodA narrative review of the literature available on Medline on MS, including systematic reviews, meta-analyses and primary studies, both in English and Spanish of papers published between March 2016 and March 2022, was conducted. The keywords used were: "ill", "Sick", "morbidity", "suffering" and "Students, medical", "medical student", "medical student health". ResultsOf the 567 articles identified, 152 were selected (115 psychopathology and 37 physical pathology). Of these, 38 articles met the inclusion criteria. A high prevalence of depressive symptoms (27%) and anxiety (28-33.8%) was found in MS, higher than in the general reference population. Alcohol and tobacco consumption is highly prevalent and physical pathologies related to high levels of stress exposure predominate, such as digestive, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and dry eyes. ConclusionPsychopathology has been extensively studied, showing differences with respect to the general population. The most prevalent physical pathologies are typical of population groups with high levels of stress and sedentary lifestyles. The need is raised for studies contrasting medical students with university students in general who have similar academic loads and stress levels.