A Syndemic Perspective on the Management of Non-communicable Diseases Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Uday Narayan Yadav; Binod Rayamajhee; Sabuj Kanti Mistry; Shradha S Parsekar; Shyam Kumar Mishra

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2020.00508

A Syndemic Perspective on the Management of Non-communicable Diseases Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Front Public Health. 2020 Sep 25:8:508. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00508. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Uday Narayan Yadav^{1

2}, Binod Rayamajhee^{3

4}, Sabuj Kanti Mistry^{1

5}, Shradha S Parsekar⁶, Shyam Kumar Mishra^{3

7}

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW, Australia.
² Forum for Health Research and Development, Dharan, Nepal.
³ School of Optometry and Vision Science, Faculty of Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁴ Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Kathmandu Research Institute for Biological Sciences (KRIBS), Lalitpur, Nepal.
⁵ James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
⁶ Public Health Evidence South Asia, Prasanna School of Public Health, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.
⁷ Department of Microbiology, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Abstract

The global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has greatly affected the lives of people living with non-communicable diseases (PLWNCDs). The health of PLWNCDs worsens when synergistic epidemics or "syndemics" occur due to the interaction between socioecological and biological factors, resulting in adverse outcomes. These interactions can affect the physical, emotional, and social well-being of PLWNCDs. In this paper, we discuss the effects of the COVID-19 syndemic on PLWNCDs, particularly how it has exposed them to NCD risk factors and disrupted essential public health services. We conclude by reflecting on strategies and policies that deal with the COVID-19 syndemic among PLWNCDs in low- and middle-income countries.

Keywords: COVID-19; LMICs; NCDS; SARS-CoV-2; syndemic framework.

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Developing Countries
Humans
Noncommunicable Diseases* / epidemiology
Pandemics
SARS-CoV-2
Syndemic