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The COVID-19 and lifestyle nexus: settling the debate

Sathyanarayanan Doraiswamy1, Sohaila Cheema1, Ravinder Mamtani1

  • 1Institute for Population Health, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, Qatar.

Global Health Promotion
|June 24, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) highlights the link between communicable diseases and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Lifestyle factors impact immunity and disease severity, influencing both communicable and NCDs.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • The classification of diseases as communicable or non-communicable (NCDs) is a long-standing public health paradigm.
  • A recent debate questioned whether coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could be considered a lifestyle disease.
  • Unhealthy lifestyles are known contributors to NCDs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To clarify the concept of 'lifestyle diseases'.
  • To examine the relationship between lifestyle factors, communicable diseases, and NCDs.
  • To contextualize the COVID-19 pandemic within established disease classification frameworks.

Main Methods:

  • This is a commentary, not an empirical study.
  • Analysis of existing evidence linking lifestyle factors to disease susceptibility and severity.
  • Discussion of the interplay between communicable and non-communicable diseases.

Main Results:

  • Unhealthy lifestyles can compromise immunity and organ function, increasing susceptibility to communicable diseases.
  • Lifestyle factors can influence the severity of communicable diseases like COVID-19.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the close relationship between communicable diseases and NCDs.

Conclusions:

  • Lifestyle choices significantly impact both communicable and non-communicable disease outcomes.
  • Personal hygiene and lifestyle behaviors are crucial for preventing and mitigating communicable diseases.
  • The distinction between communicable and non-communicable diseases is blurred by the influence of lifestyle factors.

Keywords:
COVID-19communicable diseaseslifestyle factorslifestyle-related diseasesnon-communicable diseases

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