PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Antoni Sisó-Almirall
AU  - Belchin Kostov
AU  - Encarna Sánchez
AU  - Jaume Benavent-Àreu
AU  - Luis González-de Paz
TI  - Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Primary Health Care Disease Incidence Rates: 2017 to 2020
AID  - 10.1370/afm.2731
DP  - 2022 Jan 01
TA  - The Annals of Family Medicine
PG  - 63--68
VI  - 20
IP  - 1
4099  - http://www.annfammed.org/content/20/1/63.short
4100  - http://www.annfammed.org/content/20/1/63.full
SO  - Ann Fam Med2022 Jan 01; 20
AB  - We assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain on new cases of diseases and conditions commonly seen in primary care. In 2020, there were significant reductions from 2017-2019 in the annual incidences of hypertension (40% reduction), hypercholesterolemia (36%), type 2 diabetes (39%), chronic kidney disease (43%), ischemic heart disease (48%), benign prostatic hypertrophy (38%), osteoporosis (40%), hypothyroidism (46%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (50%), alcohol use disorder (46%), benign colon polyps and tumors (42%), and melanomas (45%). Prioritization of COVID-19 care changed the physician-patient relationship to the detriment of face-to-face scheduled visits for chronic disease detection and monitoring, which fell by almost 41%. To return to prepandemic levels of diagnosis and management of chronic diseases, primary health care services should reorganize and carry out specific actions for groups at higher risk.VISUAL ABSTRACTAnnals “Online First” article.