Doctors concerned about patients, especially kids, skipping medical exams

Heading to the doctor’s office for an annual checkup might be the last thing on a person’s mind during a pandemic that has taught many the way to stay healthy is to stay home.

But many doctors on Long Island are concerned their patients might be skipping regular medical exams that are key to long-term health. Doctors said those exams include mammograms to detect breast cancer for women, prostate tests for men and immunizations for children.

Adult patients also should have their cholesterol levels, blood pressure and blood sugar checked on an annual basis, as well as screenings for skin cancer and glaucoma, doctors said.

“Screening tests are designed to catch diseases while they can be acted upon,” said Dr. Anthony P. Ardito, vice president of the primary care service line at Catholic Health Services of Long Island. “One or two months is one thing, but we need to figure out ways of getting these people in now because you don’t want to wait six months to make that diagnosis.”

Since March, many annual physicals have been delayed while medical offices were flooded with patients concerned they had COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Many primary care doctors helped out in overwhelmed hospital wards.

Some otherwise healthy patients avoided medical offices if they weren’t sick for fear of contracting the coronavirus.

Dr. Randolph P. DiLorenzo, an internist and medical director of Syosset Hospital, said his office is just starting to ramp up for regular physicals after focusing on more immediate patient needs related to COVID-19.

“This is a great opportunity to talk about lifestyle — their diet, weight, physical activity, smoking and alcohol use,” DiLorenzo said. “While you are sitting at home, have you been exercising or have you been eating chips and drinking beer all day?

“We want to check blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood sugar, kidney function, anemia,” he added. “And everybody should be screened for skin cancer and depression.”

Depending on the individual, they also can be tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

Experts said medical offices will continue to use protocols created during the pandemic, such as having patients wait in their cars for their appointments, deep cleaning exam rooms after each visit, and using separate rooms or facilities for people who might be positive for COVID-19.

How often a patient needs a screening, such as a Pap test to check for cervical cancer in women, can be determined by the individual clinician, based on the person’s medical history.

But one group of patients who should never delay their checkups is young children, according to Dr. Christina Johns, a pediatrician and senior medical adviser at PM Pediatrics.

“I feel very strongly about this,” Johns said. “The American Academy of Pediatrics has come out with a very strong statement that children under the age of 2 must absolutely continue with their child care so they can stay on time with their immunization schedule. The last thing that we want to do is inadvertently create another public health crisis while we are trying to manage this one.”

Johns said wellness visits are also a chance for doctors to evaluate a young patient’s vision and hearing and how they have been dealing with the stressful restrictions during the pandemic.

“This is the time when health care professionals pick up on things like anxiety and other mental health illnesses that aren’t necessarily disclosed in an acute care visit for something like a sore throat,” she said. “Especially now, we don’t want to miss those kinds of symptoms.”

Ardito said he is concerned about a possible surge in COVID-19 cases in the fall and a separate surge of sick patients who have ignored their medical needs since the pandemic started.

People who have underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes, may not be reaching out to their doctors. They are home, maybe a little depressed and feeling isolated not seeing family members. This may cause them not to take care of themselves and not eat well,” he said. “I do expect those patients may start getting sick over the next few weeks if they don’t start seeking medical attention.”

By Lisa L. Colangelo

lisa.colangelo@newsday.com@lisalcolangelo

Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.