Increased heart disease, stroke deaths seen in the first year of the pandemic

CDC data show an increase in heart disease and stroke mortality during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, due to factors other than an aging population, a reversal of previous trends, and widening racial disparities.

Stephen Sydney

From 2019 to 2020, researchers also found that black adults have both the greatest increase in heart disease and the highest overall incidence. Death from stroke Compared to adults of other races and ethnicities. “We have made progress in reducing deaths from heart disease and stroke, primarily through precautions and timely interventions.” Stephen Sydney, MD, MPH, Kaiser Permanente, director and senior research scientist at the Research Clinic of the Northern California Research Division, told Healio. “Our research shows that pandemics not only stopped these increases, but also black, Latin, and Asian adults were hit hardest and reversed them. This is all about health care. It shows that we are not doing enough nationwide to make it available to people equally and to optimize preventative measures that are known to improve the health of CVs. “

Sidney et al. Used the WONDER database to analyze CDC data collected between 2011 and 2020 to assess age-adjusted mortality for heart disease and stroke, age-specific mortality, and population estimates. Researchers estimated age-related mortality changes from year to year by multiplying the one-year age-specific mortality rate by the next year’s age-specific population. Risk-related mortality is calculated as changes in total mortality minus changes in age-related mortality and represents mortality associated with a fundamental change in disease risk.

The survey results have been published at JAMA network opened.

High risk due to race

From 2011 to 2019, deaths from heart disease increased by 10.4% and deaths from stroke increased by 16.3%. From 2019 to 2020, the total age-related increase in heart disease deaths was 17.6%, while the risk-related decrease was 7.1%. For stroke, the total increase in age-related deaths from 2019 to 2020 was 18.1%, while the total risk-related decrease was 1.8%.

In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, deaths from heart disease and stroke increased by 5.8% and 6.8%, respectively. However, age-related increases were 1.6% and 1.7% for heart disease and stroke, respectively, while risk-related increases were 4.1% for heart disease and 5.2% for stroke.

Comparing 2011-2019 and 2019-2020, researchers found that the change in average annual rate of change in age-related deaths from heart disease and stroke in all racial groups was less than 1.5%. I observed that there was. However, in all racial groups, the average annual rate of change in risk-related heart disease and stroke mortality increased sharply from 2019 to 2020 compared to 2011 to 2019. The average annual rate of change in deaths from heart disease and stroke increased by 11.9% for black adults, 11.2% for Hispanic adults, 9.9% for Asia Pacific Islands, and 2.3% for white adults.

Researchers have found that black adults are more than five times more likely to have heart disease and twice more likely to have stroke than white adults.

Impact of COVID-19

Researchers have found that the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with conditions that may contribute to increased risk-related heart disease and stroke mortality, including hospital overcrowding with COVID-19 patients. We noted that hospitalization for acute CV events was reduced. Reduced medical visits, poor dosing compliance, and increased barriers to healthy lifestyle behavior.

Jamal S. Lana

“Nationwide, we have seen overcrowded hospitals with COVID-19, and we also know that COVID-19 itself can have detrimental effects on heart disease and stroke.” Jamal S. Lana, MD, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Cardiology Permanent Medical Group Deputy Researcher Kaiser Permanente Northern California Research Division told Healio. “What’s worrisome is the disproportionate effect, as if the pandemic had melted the tip of the iceberg and revealed how volatile the medical situation for black, Latin, and Asian adults in the United States. These data are evidence of the underlying structural racial discrimination and systematic inequality. Social determinants of health Produce different results in the color community. “

Researchers have further focused on maintaining optimal CV risk factor levels and “warning for equity in access to health care” with the emergence of new strains of virus associated with high COVID-19 rates. He said it suggests that it needs to be put.

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