“Obesity should have been on the list of comorbidities” | Indian News

New Delhi: Surprised that obesity is not on the list of 20 comorbidities that determine the eligibility for Covid-19 vaccination in people aged 45-59 years, experts say it is one of the common underlyings The condition found in Says it should have been included because it was hospitalized patient.. Overall, the category of conditions underlying vaccination announced by the Federal Ministry of Health on Saturday is: Medical world Some say it’s exhaustive, while others find it too restrictive.
Doctors also pointed out that diabetes and high blood pressure are associated with other illnesses, complications, or the length of time a person is taking the drug. One of the criteria states that “I have had diabetes for more than 10 years or have complications and high blood pressure during treatment.” “Diabetics must have been on the drug for at least 10 years and are eligible if they also have hypertension,” said doctor Dr. Gautam Vanthari.
Obesity Surgeon Ph.D. Muffazal LakdawalaEstablishing the city’s first jumbo center in NSCI Wali, said removing obesity from the list is an “obvious exception”. “Around the world, it has been considered a risk factor. Even in Mumbai, we have found that obese patients are 60% more likely to have complications and more than 30% more likely to die from infection,” he said. He added that patients with a BMI greater than 40 should have been taken into account. “They may have added obesity to the list, just as diabetes and high blood pressure have come along with other illnesses,” he said. Diabetologist Dr. Rajiv Covil said the metabolic problems of 135 million obese people in India are causing the epidemic of diabetes and heart disease. “It should have included obesity,” he added.
BMI-based in the United States, as some states cite BMI-based vaccine eligibility as a criterion for preferential vaccination, based on the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation to include obesity and morbid obesity. Vaccine eligibility is a topic of debate. According to statistics, 80% of diabetics are obese, Dr. Rakdawara said.Senior doctor from BYL Nea Hospital At least 35% of ICU patients said they had a higher weight. “Their lungs are under pressure, and wearing them on a ventilator poses additional challenges,” the doctor added.
The list of 20 comorbidities includes heart failure with hospitalization for the past year, coronary heart disease with a history of bypass after heart transplantation, chronic kidney disease, recipients or waiting lists for liver and stem cell transplantation, etc. It will be. This list also includes people with severe respiratory illness, blood cancer, solid cancer diagnosed after July 1, 2020, or who are currently receiving cancer treatment. The practitioner must qualify for vaccination based on previous medical reports. Aside from obesity, another issue is the selection criteria for diabetics, stating that diabetics should have been treated for at least 10 years or have complications. The criteria for blood pressure patients are “pulmonary arterial hypertension and hypertension / diabetes (10 years or more or with complications) and hypertension under treatment”.
People with diabetes and hypertension should have been included regardless of duration of medication, according to Dr. Naveen Thacker, a former civil society representative of the Global Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) Board of Directors. “Obesity has been found to be a major contributor to serious illness, even in young people. The inclusion of diabetes and high blood pressure is very limited. To eliminate obesity or to expect these What kind of data was trusted for this? “He said. A total of 70% of Mumbai’s Covid victims had a comorbidity of diabetes and high blood pressure being the predominant ones. Dr. Thacker also said that certification is mandatory for the 45-59 year old category, so the price needs to be fixed at what doctors can charge. BMC officials admitted that they had not yet considered “prescription misuse.”
However, infectious disease expert Dr. Tanu Shinharu felt the list was exhaustive. “Perhaps calculating BMI was a challenge at the community level, but as vaccination becomes more flexible, we may see a fix,” she said.