ABSTRACT
Obesity and atrial fibrillation in the elderly population both present as significant health issues worldwide indirectly. Cases of atrial fibrillation are also rising worldwide, making it the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia. There are a variety of risk factors for atrial fibrillation. Modifiable factors include smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and non-modifiable include genetic predisposition. Obesity is a well-known risk factor for multiple systemic conditions like metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus type 2, sleep-related disorders, etc. In addition, it contributes directly to the development of various cardiovascular disorders like hypertension, myocardial infarction, and, more notably, atrial fibrillation. There are multiple mechanisms by which obesity in adults increases the risk of atrial fibrillation. Some of them are systemic inflammation caused by the increased secretion of cytokines by adipocytes, neuro-hormonal disturbances and heart structure remodeling, and weight-loss strategies have shown improvements in patients suffering from atrial fibrillation.
ABSTRACT
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused an unexpected disturbance in healthcare systems as well as medical education worldwide. This article aims to provide an overview of the circumstances experienced by medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. As this disease can cause life-threatening conditions, it has presented challenges to medical educators and students as they must adapt to changes in their medical education to ensure lectures are given safely as well as effectively. Many medical students feel the sudden change in their education system impacted their training negatively; 74% of students surveyed by members of McGill University reported a decrease in the quality of their education since the start of COVID-19. As well as a negative impact on medical education, this pandemic has caused unprecedented psychological stress on numerous people around the world, especially individuals in the medical field. 48% of medical students at a Canadian university reported feeling more depressed since the onset of COVID-19. The sudden changes, isolation, and worries about health have impacted students' mental health drastically. On the other hand, some students have reported that this pandemic has made a positive impact on their mental health as they had more time to focus on their mental well-being and they felt an overall reduction in pressure and stress. As COVID-19 remains to impact individuals worldwide, effective strategies towards improving mental health and quality of education should be provided to medical students affected by the challenges of this pandemic.