Open AccessIdentifying and Describing Impact of Disasters on Non-Communicable Diseases: A Systematic Review
Author(s) -
Elham Ghazanchaei,
Davoud KhorasaniZavareh,
Javad Aghazadeh-Attari,
Iraj Mohebbi
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
iranian journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.452
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 2251-6093
pISSN - 2251-6085
DOI - 10.18502/ijph.v50i6.6413
Subject(s) - medicine , communicable disease , disease , non communicable disease , systematic review , environmental health , mental health , scopus , natural disaster , diabetes mellitus , medline , intensive care medicine , public health , medical emergency , psychiatry , pathology , physics , meteorology , political science , law , endocrinology
Background: Patients with non-communicable diseases are vulnerable to disasters. This is a systematic review describing the impact of disasters on non-communicable diseases.
Methods: A systematic review was conducted using PRISMA standards. Relevant articles published from 1997 to 2019 collected by searching the Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, databases. We specifically examined reports describing NCDs and including the key words “non-communicable disease and Disasters”. NCDs included cardiovascular, respiratory, diabetes, cancer and mental health diseases.
Results: Of the 663 studies identified, only 48 articles met all the eligibility criteria. Most studies have shown the impact of all natural disasters on non-communicable diseases (39.8% n=19). The largest study was the effect of earthquakes on non-communicable diseases (29.2% n=14). For the NCDs targeted by this research, most of the included studies were a combination of four diseases: cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, diabetes and cancer (44% n=21). Followed by cardiovascular disease (14.6% n=7), chronic respiratory disease (12.5% n=6), diabetes and cancer (6.2% n=3) and mental health (12.5% n=6).
Conclusion: The incidence of disasters affects the management of treatment and care for patients with NCDs. Specific measures include a multi-part approach to ensuring that patients with non-communicable diseases have access to life-saving services during and after disasters. The approach of the health system should be expanded from traditional approaches to disasters and requires comprehensive planning of health care by policy makers and health professionals to develop effective strategies to enable patients to access medical, therapeutic and diagnostic services in natural disasters.