“Don’t Die of Doubt”

That’s the catchphrase of a new campaign from the American Heart Association, urging people to seek emergency care at the first sign of a heart attack or stroke. There is new evidence that more and more people are delaying necessary medical care because of the pandemic.

 

Two studies published this week in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine added to the body of work finding a decline in non-coronavirus-related hospitalizations across the country since Covid-19 took hold. Doctors are reporting significant drops in hospitalizations for a range of complications including chronic health conditions, emergencies and injuries.

 

Researchers from Stanford University and Weill Cornell Medical Centers found a 39% decrease in heart attacks and 49% decrease in stroke cases – and that’s concerning because doctors are reporting that they’ve seen conditions they haven’t seen in years.

 

Dr. Jason Wasfy told CNN in August that he was seeing ventricular septal defects in the intensive care unit this summer. This can occur when a heart attack goes untreated, resulting in a hole in the heart.

 

"I'm a cardiologist and I haven't seen one of those in a long time," said Wasfy, who is also director of outcomes research at the Massachusetts General Heart Center. "This was something that was relatively common, for example, in the 1960s or 1970s."

 

When it comes to strokes, early treatment is key because the risk of another stroke is highest within the first few weeks to months after the initial stroke.

 

If there’s any concern about not feeling well, go get checked out. As the American Heart Association says: "Don't Die of Doubt.”