Sharp decline in citizens turning to hospitals, even in critical cases
Doctors are reporting that people are beginning to fear turning into the emergency room. "Heart diseases are just as prevalent as they were before the coronavirus"
By MAAYAN HARONI/MAARIVPeople are seen in front of the entrance to the emergency room at the Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem(photo credit: REUTERS)The coronavirus effect: Doctors are reporting a sharp decline in the number of people coming to hospitals in order to receive important treatments. For example, Israel has about 20,000 stroke cases every year, one every 30 minutes on average – though recently teams handling such cases and neurology departments are reporting a concern that prevents people from arriving at the hospitals. In fact, the neurologist association reports of a 40% decline in hospital arrivals in stroke cases."A stroke is a medical condition which requires quick medical attention, despite the coronavirus panic," warns the head of the neurologist association, Prof. David Tane. "When the first symptoms begin showing, you shouldn't hesitate, rather call an ambulance and arrive at the hospital, in order to increase the chances of receiving lifesaving treatment and minimize long term damage, which could be crippling". He addsed: "Our teams are working to reduce the number of hospitalizations as much as possible and recommend that people go to their family doctor if possible. Yet, symptoms of a stroke require a quick evacuation to the hospital as to not miss the window of opportunity for quick treatment which could prevent debilitating consequences. The symptoms of a stroke are a sudden feeling of weakness on a single side of the body, sudden trouble speaking, the person's mouth angles downwards, etc."This is also true for those suffering from heart disease. The Association of Cardiology and Heart Disease Prevention in Israel notes a sharp decline in the amount of patients who have arrived in the emergency room since the beginning of March, in parallel to the trend echoed by their associates in other countries. "This concern is completely understandable, but the result is concerning, and could be dangerous. Heart disease doesn't become less frequent during the time the coronavirus is taking precedence and the danger in some cases is no less than it was a month ago," the association said.The president of the Association of Cardiology and Heart Disease Prevention in Israel and head of the cardiology section in Soroka Medical Center, Prof. Doron Zeger, emphasized: "The damage in an untreated cardiac arrest could be just as dangerous as contracting the coronavirus, sometimes more so.""We call out to the public to not ignore warning signs as pain in the chest, arms or shoulders, as well as shortness of breath and loss of consciousness," Zeger continued. "As always it is recommended to call the MDA center in urgent cases which will know how to treat you properly. In cases where a known heart disease becomes worse, or sudden complaints of such begin to appear, please contact your doctor and consult them. Do not avoid treatment by your own judgment, it could be much more dangerous than the coronavirus".
