It’s December 2019 and the world is about to hear about a coronavirus originating from the Wuhan province in China for the first time. Little did we know that our world was about to change fundamentally.
The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a bunch of new things our way, and it has also emphasised the risks some of our fellow South Africans live with on a daily basis.
Comorbidity (try saying that three times!) was probably a word very few of us had heard of before the pandemic, but has been highlighted many times during the past year and a half.
Let’s find out exactly what a comorbidity is, and why diseases like COVID-19 and even the common flu is such a risk to anyone suffering from them.
What is a comorbidity?
Simply put, a person with comorbidity is someone who’s suffering from more than one medical condition. These conditions can happen at the same time or one after the other, leaving the person suffering with two or more long-term, chronic illnesses.
What counts as a comorbidity?
Comorbidities aren’t simply restricted to physical ailments, and include mental illnesses as well as drug abuse. Being predisposed or suffering from one illness can make you highly susceptible to another one.
Types of common comorbidities
Obesity is one of the most common conditions that can directly lead to other illnesses, such as:
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Cardiovascular disease and stroke
- Depression
- Certain cancers
Diabetes or the “sweet killer” is another common illness that predisposes its sufferers to other diseases, such as:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Kidney disease
- Obesity
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Dyslipidemia (abnormal cholesterol levels)
Mental illness is probably the most common comorbidity, millions of people suffer from this daily.
Mental illnesses like depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder can have devastating effects. Unfortunately, these illnesses also make their sufferers highly susceptible to other conditions, such as:
- Substance abuse
- Self-harm
- Other mental illnesses
Comorbidities and COVID-19
Sufferers of pre-existing conditions are highly susceptible to comorbidities and, by extension, COVID-19. Your risk of falling severely ill due to COVID-19 is highly increased if you or a loved one are suffering from one of the following:
- Hypertension
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Kidney disease
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Chronic lung conditions
- HIV or other immunocompromising diseases
What can you do?
Prevention is key! By knowing that you’re suffering from comorbidities or pre-existing conditions, then you can take the next step to get better.
GetSavvi Health offers a range of primary health benefits that can assist you and your family to see a health professional and stay healthy.
If you want to sign up to GetSavvi Health, simply click the link or call 0861 18 92 02 for a free, no-obligations quote today.
References:
Everything You Want to Know About Comorbidities and COVID-19
People with Certain Medical Conditions
Condition: Dyslipidemia
What Is Comorbidity? When a Person Has More Than One Condition
Comorbidities in Mental Health
Comorbidity
Everything You Want to Know About Comorbidities and COVID-19