“What is an underlying medical condition?” This article serves as a COVID-19 alert, and will shed light on some of these conditions. People are looking for answers.
Some diseases are not life threatening to the majority of individuals who usually recover without complications. However, others are more susceptible which could be fatal for them.
This means those who are already suffering from any of several medical conditions need to take extra precautions. In other words, they have to protect themselves against the COVID-19 virus as well as other exposures.
Underlying Medical Condition | What Is It?
People are suffering from all types of diseases which seem to be rampant all around us. Following, we will shed some light on what really is an underlying medical condition?
A medical condition that puts someone in harm’s way when exposed to another disease is considered an underlying medical condition.
Harmful bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses could be life threatening if individuals already nursing debilitating illnesses come in contact with them.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other medical authorities have listed some conditions they consider high risk for individuals affected by them.
Here are a few underlying medical conditions that could be detrimental if coupled with the COVID-19 virus:
- Hypertension
- Chronic Lung Disease
- Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
- Obesity
- Cardiovascular Disease
The foregoing information answers the question, “What is an underlying medical condition?” in a nutshell. Now we’ll take a closer look.
Underlying Condition | Matters of The Heart.
There are a whole hosts of heart-related diseases that affect blood vessels. Some of these are:
Arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, congenital heart disease, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, peripheral artery disease, and stroke.
- Arrhythmia: This is an irregular heart beat condition where it’s too fast, too slow or showing other abnormalities.
- Cardiac arrest: Signs of this is unconsciousness, absence of breathing, and unexpected loss of heart function.
- Congenital heart disease: This abnormality in the heart is developed prior to birth.
- Congestive heart failure: The flow of blood is limited due to the heart’s failure to pump blood effectively.
- Coronary artery disease: Here, the major blood vessels are affected by damage or disease.
- High blood pressure or Hypertension: As the name suggests, the blood flowing through the artery is higher than normal.
- Peripheral artery disease: This is a circulatory disease affecting the limbs when blood vessels become narrow thus restricting the flow of blood.
- Stroke: When blood supply is cut off from the brain, damage can be done resulting in a stroke.
Cardiovascular disease and heart disease are often used interchangeably. Cardiovascular, more specifically, refers to blocked or narrowed blood vessels leading to other heart conditions.
Medical Condition | Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity.
This chronic underlying medical condition prevents the body from producing sufficient insulin or causing it to resist it altogether. As a result, it interferes with how blood sugar or glucose is processed.
People with Type 2 diabetes are susceptible to heart disease and stroke. And many individuals are unaware that they are diabetic until serious complications develop.
The main organs affected are the blood vessels, eyes, heart, kidneys, and nerves. In addition, there are serious complications and risk factors which can be life threatening.
Obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. There is also obesity-dependent diabetes which is referred to as “diabesity.” Subsequently, weight loss is recommended to reduce the risk.
Excessive body fat may be caused by ingesting more calories than is being burned. Therefore, exercise and an active daily lifestyle versus a sedentary one may result in a healthier body.
Nutrition also plays an important role; therefore, a balanced diet is recommended for optimal health in general.
Furthermore, obesity increases the risk of several health conditions.
Underlying Lung Diseases | Knocking the Breath Out.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and its companions, emphysema and bronchitis, are lung diseases.
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: COPD is a group of diseases of which emphysema and bronchitis are a part. They are breathing related and interrupts air flow.
- Emphysema: It is responsible for the destruction and enlargement of air spaces in the lungs.
- Bronchitis: This lung disease is responsible for an increase in the production of mucus and causes inflammation.
There is no known cure for COPD, according to medical authorities, as the lungs are damaged and the harm done cannot be reversed. However, treatment can be helpful.
Pulmonary refers to the lungs and chronic lung diseases, including asthma, can literally knock the breath out of you. If you are a sufferer or have seen others with these conditions, you know how life threatening they are.
In addition, smokers are usually more likely than nonsmokers to develop lung diseases including cancer.
Any one of these underlying medical condition can put an individual in a delicate situation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 Alert | Let’s Roundup.
There are several underlying medical conditions that may result in an increased risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus. This may be manifested as more severe health issues or fatality for some individuals.
Many of these affect the heart, lungs, and vascular or circulatory organs for the most part. Additionally, some individuals have a few of these diseases all at once.
In some cases, one leads to the other–they are interrelated. Therefore, extra care should be taken to avoid exposure to anything that threatens one’s health and wellbeing.
Exercise, making wholesome choices and habits, and good nutrition can go a long way towards investing in a healthy lifestyle.
It is important to have proper medical care at any stage of life. More importantly, it is essential in the presence of so many illnesses that plague us.
As we go through the dreadful COVID-19 pandemic, we all must take the necessary precautions to protect ourselves and others. It is even more critical for so many who have underlying medical conditions.
Let us be mindful of others in our pathway to ensure we do not jeopardize their health and wellbeing in any way.
I hope this article, “What Is an Underlying Medical Condition? COVID-19 Alert!” has helped you in some way. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below. I will be more than happy to serve you.
