1 day ago
7
As technology and time progress, medical professionals are beginning to recognize trends in the illnesses and diseases seen most often among members of Gen Z. Fortunately, some of them are preventable, and a few small lifestyle changes could make a huge difference. Over on Reddit, Cold_Manufacturer7 recently posed the question, "Doctors/nurses who've been practicing for decades, what conditions are you seeing way more of in Gen Z compared to previous generations?" and these 21 responses are very, VERY important:
Editor's Note: All medical professionals in this post are self-identified. BuzzFeed did not verify each individual's experience.
1. "A relative told me that their eye doctor (cornea specialist) mentioned that they see a lot more dry eye issues in younger people. Primarily because so much screentime causes them to stare more and not blink as often as they should. Not as serious as other things mentioned, but I find it interesting. So please do your eyes a favor and blink more often while you're on your computers, tablets, and phones. Yes, you, reading this right now, blink!"
2. "My wife is a nurse. She’s 36. She has said a few times that she’s amazed at how many younger women, in particular, have autoimmune and skin issues compared to women in their 30s and older."
—VikingRodeo9
3. "My mother has worked in the ER since the '80s. She is the first person you meet and does the initial triaging. She said that in the pre-2000s, she never saw a young person with a kidney stone; it was a problem mainly suffered by people 40+. These days, it's not uncommon to see young people get them. Her theory is that it's energy drinks, but she doesn't really know. Something has changed, though, causing younger people to get kidney stones more than just a few decades ago, at least. We are Swedish."
4. "I only work on the ambulance, but I'm getting younger patients with obesity, diabetes, pregnancy, behavioral problems such as assault, and drug abuse. Last summer I had a 12-year-old that had already been to rehab for opioid abuse and was now on the ambulance with her mother for pregnancy complications. I also find us responding more and more to the schools for fights. This past spring, it was a sixth-grader that knocked out her principal with a metal folding chair à la WWE."
5. "Methamphetamine associated heart failure. We've started calling it MethrEF because it's so incredibly common in the areas of the country where meth use is rampant. And I'm seeing it in YOUNG people. Late 20s and already in hospice for their heart failure. Did not see that with meth patients 10 years ago."
6. "Anxiety disorders and IBS, not even close. The gut-brain connection stuff is real, and these kids are dealing with a level of constant stress nobody prepared them for. Also, seeing way more autoimmune stuff popping up earlier than it used to."
7. "My sister's an ER nurse, and she says the UTIs in girls in their early 20s are out of control now. Like, not the normal ones, the kind that go to your kidneys because they held it for nine hours at work or waited three days to get seen. She had a 23-year-old last month who nearly went septic over something that used to be a quick round of antibiotics. It's the ignoring your body thing, everyone's too busy or too broke to deal with it until it's an emergency."
9. "Vape addicts. Chronic usage leads to complete nicotine addiction, which leads to zero appetite. Usually hand in hand with anxiety. I’m seeing this as extremely thin young men with no appetite and complaining of 'difficulty swallowing' and/or eosinophilic esophagitis."
10. "Oncology nurse practitioner here. I’ve diagnosed entirely too many stage IV colon cancers in patients. <30"
11. "Tech neck and crippling anxiety. Half these 19-year-olds have the spine of an 80-year-old cobbler."
12. "My 75-year-old husband recently had a quadruple bypass surgery (four new arteries placed during open heart surgery). It’s a big deal and a very severe surgery. While sitting up in the ICU with him one night, the nurse and I got to talking. She told me that they’re seeing an abundance of 40-somethings come in needing the same surgery. In other words, young folks have already clogged up their arteries by age 40+."
13. "I'm in sleep medicine. There's a significant increase in narcolepsy in this age range."
14. "Not a doctor or medical professional, but a patient here. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2023. I was 26 at the time, and my rheumatologist mentioned that she is seeing a lot of young patients like me with autoimmune conditions these days. I am still to this day one of her youngest patients."
16. "My husband is an infectious disease physician, and he says STIs are rampant. He's seeing things like tertiary syphilis in people in their 20s (which means it's been untreated for YEARS), spirochetes in the eyeball, and hearing about congenital syphilis from his pediatric colleagues."
18. "I've been practicing for three years (resident neurologist). Last week, I had three women in my clinic for back pain: two 26-year-olds and a 31-year-old. All three had herniated discs, and one of them had degenerative changes in her vertebrae, which are normal for post menopause women. The 31-year-old had a cervical hernia from a few years ago, though it was thankfully not causing issues. My older colleagues have all noticed a trend of young people getting spinal disorders more and more often. The clinic used to treat maybe 10 patients under and around 30 a year. Now there are two to three every month. The consensus is that more and more people spend their days barely moving. Or on the other end, there are people who go way too hard at the gym. Lifting weights with poor form or lifting more than they should."
19. "Speech pathologist here, but: reading difficulties — decoding, sight reading, comprehension, the whole lot."
20. "While I was working in the emergency department, I noticed a huge uptick in road rash injuries. E-scooters and e-bikes without proper protection (helmets, pads, and/or thick clothing (or at least pants instead of shorts for fuck's sake)) are causing really severe issues that kids just don't take seriously. Lots of TBIs (traumatic brain injuries) from this, too."
21. And finally, "Dentist here — xerostomia (dry mouth). Mostly from vape and marijuana usage. Which leads to a ton of decay and cavities. Also, grinding/clenching from anxiety and stress."
Thoughts? Let us know in the comments.
Comments have been edited for length and clarity.
English (US) 