Fear of COVID-19 Among Japanese Workers and Exacerbation of Chronic Pain: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between fear of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and exacerbated chronic pain among workers during the pandemic, as well as productivity loss. METHODS: We collected data using Internet-based self-reported questionnaires, on fear of COVID-19, work productivity status, exacerbation of chronic pain during the pandemic, and several confounding factors. RESULTS: The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a high level of fear of COVID-19 was associated with an increased exacerbation of chronic pain (adjusted odds ratio, 2.31; 95% confidence interval, 1.21-4.44). Meanwhile, the presence of fear of COVID-19 and exacerbated chronic pain were associated with productivity impairment (adjusted odds ratio, 2.03; 95% confidence interval, 1.44-2.85). CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that workers' fear of COVID-19 is correlated with exacerbated chronic pain and risk of presenteeism.

Impact of Japan's State of Emergency Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic on Trends in Diabetes Care: A Descriptive and Retrospective Study.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the impact of Japan's state of emergency on trends in diabetes care during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. DESIGN: A descriptive and retrospective study. SETTING: Showa University Hospital, Japan. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with diabetes who received medical treatment from 2018 to 2020. Determinants of interest: Number of patients with diabetes visiting the hospital per week. To examine the impact of the Japan's state of emergency, the number of hospital visitations by patients with diabetes was summarized from 28 weeks of data for each year, from calendar week 8 to calender week 35. RESULTS: Compared with the mean of 2018 and 2019, no significant difference was found between the three periods (before, during, and after the state of emergency). However, the numbers of patients from both inside and outside Tokyo increased at 7 weeks after the state of emergency was lifted. CONCLUSIONS: A significant increase in the numbers of patients with diabetes was seen compared with the same period in 2018 and 2019, suggesting that the state of emergency may have hindered diabetes care. Therefore, patients with diabetes should receive continuous follow-up regarding their diabetes care, keeping a close eye on relvent measurements.

Impact of the state of emergency on trends in the care of three major diseases at Showa University Hospital, Japan: a retrospective and descriptive study.

Introduction: This study aimed to examine the trends in patient consultations for three major diseases (cancer, heart disease, and stroke) at Showa University Hospital, Japan during the state of emergency for the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: The present study was a retrospective and descriptive study of Showa University Hospital in Tokyo, Japan. Subjects were patients who had received medical treatment at Showa University Hospital and were diagnosed from 2017 to 2020. To examine the impact of the state of emergency, the number visits to hospital by the top three causes of death or other diseases were summarised from 21 weeks of data, from week 8 to week 28, for each year. Results: Compared to the average of the previous 3 years, a comparison of the three periods before and after the state of emergency showed a V-shaped curve in 2020, with a large drop in the number of cancer patients during the state of emergency, both from within Tokyo and from outside the city. Conclusions: This study showed a long-term decrease in cancer patient visits to Showa University Hospital since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the previous 3 years. It is also possible that medical care that would have been available may not have been provided due to the state of emergency, so it is necessary to follow up patients while keeping a close eye on measures other than infectious diseases.

Structural equation modeling of the effects of psychological distress and a fear of coronavirus disease 2019 on diabetes care in Japan: a cross-sectional study.

This study aimed to examine the effects of psychological distress and a fear of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on diabetes care in Japan. We used data from a 2020 nationwide Internet survey in Japan involving 28,000 respondents aged 15-79 years. The question items included psychological factors (Kessler psychological distress scale and fear of COVID-19), employment, trust in neighbors, informal caregiving, and history of diabetes care. After excluding respondents with comorbidities and those who had not visited the hospital, 625 patients with diabetes were analyzed. Statistical mediation was then examined through a path analysis using structural equation modeling (SEM). Discontinued diabetes care was independently associated with psychological distress (risk ratio = 1.44, 95% confidence interval [1.01-2.06]) and a fear of COVID-19 (1.41 [1.01-1.95]). The SEM results indicated that a fear of COVID-19, employment, trust in neighbors, and informal caregiving were indirectly associated with continued diabetes care via psychological distress. These findings suggest that a fear of COVID-19 may affect psychological distress and continued diabetes care among patients with diabetes in Japan, and that trust in neighbors and family caregiving may be related to the discontinuation of diabetes care. Therefore, because psychological factors and socioeconomic status may affect diabetes care, it is important to consider a fear of COVID-19 among patients with diabetes to maintain diabetes treatment.

Increased Work from Home and Low Back Pain among Japanese Desk Workers during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.

To prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), desk workers in Japan have been encouraged to work from home. Due to rapidly increased working from home, working in environments that are not properly designed and working with poor posture can affect low back pain (LBP). This study aimed to examine the relationship between increased work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic and LBP among Japanese desk workers. Using study data from the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey 2020 conducted from August to September 2020, 4227 desk workers who did not have LBP before the COVID-19 pandemic were analyzed out of 25,482 total respondents. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for LBP were calculated by multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for covariates such as socioeconomic factors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 31.3% of desk workers with an increased chance of working from home, and 4.1% had LBP. Desk workers with increased working from home were more likely to have LBP (OR: 2.00 (95% CI, 1.36-2.93)). In this large-scale study, increased work from home was associated with LBP among desk workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, preparing an appropriate work environment for desk workers working from home can improve productivity, leading to positive effects.