COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the United States in 2020 and 2021.

In a recent article published in the journal JAMA Internal MedicineResearchers investigated the major causes of death throughout the United States (US) in a pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

study: Major causes of death in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to October 2021.. Image Credit: Corona Borealis Studio / Shutterstock

Background

Cancer and heart disease were the leading causes of death in the United States in 2020, contributing 1.29 million deaths, followed by SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with 350,000 deaths. The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic may have inadvertently increased other causes of death, including diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and unintended injuries.

About research

In the current study, scientists analyzed the major causes of death across and across different age groups in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to October 2021. did.

The team had complete information on the 2020 National Death Certificate and visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on May 5, 2021 to obtain 2021 data. The researchers did not include the data because the recent data was incomplete since October 2021. They identified the top five causes of death by age group and year, and compared the months March-December 2020 with January-October 2021.

Results and conclusions

Studies show that heart disease, cancer, COVID-19, accidents, and stroke are the most frequent causes of death in the United States from March 2020 to October 2021, with 20.1%, 17.5%, and 12.2 respectively. It was shown to be% and 6.2%. , And 4.7%. Between March and December 2020, 2,875 million people died, and between January and October 2021, 2,855,000 people died. In addition, the five major causes of death were the same each year. For individuals over the age of one, deaths increased in all age groups.

The main causes of death in all groups over the age of 55 were COVID-19, cancer, and heart disease. The top three causes of death did not change between 2020 and 2021 across these age groups.

In 2020, SARS-CoV-2 infection is the second leading cause of death in individuals aged 85 and over, with 110,000 or 12.8% dying and the third in 2021 with 69,000 or 8.9. % Died.

The death toll between the ages of 45 and 54 in 2020 was 17,000, or 10.4% of all deaths, and COVID-19 was the fourth leading cause of death after cancer, heart disease and accidents. Nevertheless, in 2021, SARS-CoV-2 infection was the leading cause of causality throughout this age group, with 30,000 deaths or 16.8% death.

Accidents were the leading cause of death on both time stamps in all age groups from 1 to 44 years. Compared to 2020, SARS-CoV-2 infections have increased from the fifth highest cause of deaths between the ages of 35 and 44 to 6100 and the second highest cause of deaths of 13,000 in 2021. Did. In addition, SARS-CoV-2 infection is the fourth leading cause of death in 2021, accounting for 5,000 deaths among people aged 25-34 and 1100 deaths among people aged 15-24. I am.

Conclusion

Overall, the findings show that SARS-CoV-2 infection caused 1 in 8 deaths in the United States between March 2020 and October 2021, causing deaths in all age groups of people over the age of 15. Showed that it was ranked in the top 5 of. Cancer and heart disease generally and in most age groups outnumbered COVID-19 deaths, but accidents were the leading cause of deaths in people aged 1 to 44 years. COVID-19-related deaths in the 2021 time frame were 85 years or older compared to 2020, but increased between 15 and 54 years and became the leading cause of death between 45 and 54 years.