Last year, the coronavirus pandemic reduced by 22% the new diagnoses of Cancer in Barcelona compared to 2019. They also decreased by 39% diagnoses of new chronic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes or ischemic heart disease. And even a 4,9% in men and a 7,9% in women the diagnoses of anxiety disorders, distress and anxious state. This does not mean that the incidence of these diseases decreased, but that Covid-19 hindered the detection of other ailments. In fact, emotional distress has increased in the last year and a half. The report ‘Salut a Barcelona 2020’ from Barcelona Public Health Agency (Aspb), presented this Friday, emphasizes the infradiagnóstico generalizado because of the virus and in worsening mental health.
“This report is different from other years because it collects everything that has happened as a result of covid-19 and how it has affected the health of the Barcelona residents and public health. And it shows how the social conditions of people “, says the manager of the Aspb, Carme Borrell. The Aspb belongs 60% to the Barcelona City Council and 40% to the Generalitat de Catalunya. “We put this analysis on the table for the administrations to implement policies,” adds Borrell.
The manager of the Aspb especially highlights the underdiagnosis of other diseases that the covid has caused. “The services, due to the pandemic, have stopped doing other things. [la Aspb] too. And now we have to make up for lost time “, Borrell highlights. Thus, according to data from the information system of the Serveis d’Atenció Primària (Sisap), the most significant drop in diagnoses of chronic diseases is found in over 65 years old. Specifically, in 2020 the diagnoses of arterial hypertension they fell 34.1%; those of diabetes, 33.8%; and those of the ischemic heart disease 29.3% compared to the previous year. Likewise, last year 7,618 new cases of cancer were diagnosed, 2,203 cases less than in 2019, which represents a reduction of 22% in new cancer diagnoses.
Impact on mental health
In 2020, the anxiety and distress disorders in men and 7.9% in women despite the fact that diseases related to psychological problems represent a significant percentage of all new diagnoses made in primary care consultations in Barcelona. In fact, the rest of the indicators analyzed point to a increase of the prevalence of poor mental health in the population. “The worsening of mental health is a consequence of the covid – says Borrell -. Society has suffered a lot.”
Based on these indicators, the report ‘La Salut a Barcelona 2020’ concludes that the pandemic has had a very important negative impact on mental health of the population at all ages, but especially in women. These first provisional data suggest that poor mental health has passed in men from 16.5% in 2016 to 23,3% in 2021, and in women from 19.9% to 35,8%.
This increase occurs in all age groups, although the greatest increase is concentrated in the range from 15 to 44 years old. The increase in this group is particularly high in women, going from 17.6% in 2016 to 41.4% in 2021. According to the social class, it is observed that in women the prevalences are doubled at all levels. On the other hand, in men the increases are concentrated in the more affluent classes.
Refering to adolescent population, The report also incorporates the first provisional data from the High School Risk Factors Survey (Fresh) of the Aspb, collected last year. According to this first analysis, the percentage of adolescents from 13 to 19 years The risk of suffering a mental health problem increases in both sexes and in all ages in 2021 compared to 2016, especially in girls.
Thus, 11.2% of boys are at risk of suffering a mental health problem (7.9% in 2016), while in girls the percentage rises to 19,9% (10.4% in 2016)). In addition, the results confirm that this percentage is higher in the adolescent population of neighborhoods of most disadvantaged socioeconomic level, especially in girls, with a difference of 13 points compared to boys (women, 24.8% and men, 11.6% in 2021).
Aspb was not surprised by the results of this report because “It is something that is happening internationally”, according to Borrell. But it calls to take action on it.
The covid-19 in Barcelona
According to the web #COVID19aldiaBCN of the Aspb, until October 2021 in Barcelona they were infected with coronavirus almost 203,000 people, of which 6,200 lived or worked in residences. The excess mortality recorded has been around the 5,500 deaths.
The Aspb report also reveals that confinement has affected more people with worst living conditions. Factors such as housing overcrowding, the availability of an exit to the outside or thermal insulation are unevenly distributed according to socioeconomic factors. Also, it should be noted that the people who experience these conditions are the ones who had fewer opportunities to telecommute.
Related news
For its part, the report also includes that covid-19 had a great impact on the labor market in Barcelona. In 2020 more than 300,000 working people they were affected by an employment regulation file. The hostelry and the Commerce were the most affected activities, although the employment data for the first semester of 2021 show a marked improvement until recovering the prepandemic levels.
Thus, the Aspb report confirms that social inequalities have resulted in a unequal social distribution of the impact of covid-19. Living and working conditions have not been the same for everyone and, consequently, the epidemic has affected more people from most disadvantaged socioeconomic level, with a higher incidence of the disease and lower vaccination coverage. Regarding gender, the pandemic has generally affected more to women.
Reference-www.elperiodico.com