The impact of novel coronavirus COVID-19 on noncommunicable disease patients and health systems: a review.

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, haematologic, oncologic, traumatic, obstetric/gynaecologic, 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.