THE global COVID-19 lockdown may be having a positive impact on the world's cardiovascular health, according to a British physician.
Dr John Wright from the Bradford Royal Infirmary says "one of the intriguing observations during the pandemic has been the marked reduction in patients coming to hospital with acute heart attacks or strokes," he said.
Initially hospitals were concerned that people were suffering symptoms at home rather than risking getting infected in hospital, and while that may be true for milder medical issues, acute cardiovascular incidents would definitely require treatment and be picked up by health services.
Theories suggest the change may be due to the slowing down of normally frantic lives, or the nurturing of more healthy habits including taking more regular exercise in an attempt to get out of the house.
In a blog post for the BBC Wright also surmised that with more regular at-home routines, people may be simply remembering to take medications for conditions such as hypercholesterolaemia.
He also cited amalgamated data from Fitbit health trackers which indicated a reduction in average resting heart rates, more active daily minutes and increased sleep duration.
"It seems as though the lockdown has had the health-promoting effect of a good holiday," Wright said.
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