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Risk of major cardiovascular events according to educational level before and after the initial COVID-19 public

Julie Andersen1, Katrine Strandberg-Larsen2, Thomas Gerds3,4

  • 1Department of Cardiovascular Research, The Danish Heart Foundation, Copenhagen, Denmark juliea@hjerteforeningen.dk.

Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
|February 5, 2021
PubMed

Insights

The COVID-19 lockdown reduced hospitalizations for major cardiovascular events (MCE), particularly in elderly, low-educated individuals. This highlights a potential for undertreatment, widening health disparities.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Decreased cardiovascular disease hospitalizations during COVID-19 raised concerns about undertreatment.
  • Vulnerable populations may be disproportionately affected by changes in healthcare access.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of the initial COVID-19 public lockdown on the risk of major cardiovascular events (MCE) hospitalization.
  • To analyze this impact across different educational attainment levels.

Main Methods:

  • Danish residents were categorized by education level (low, medium, high) and age group.
  • Age- and sex-standardized MCE hospitalization risks were compared between the 2020 lockdown period and the 2019 period.
  • Differential effects of the lockdown on MCE incidence by educational level were assessed.

Main Results:

  • MCE hospitalizations decreased from 2700 in 2019 to 2290 during the 2020 lockdown.
  • The risk of MCE hospitalization significantly decreased for elderly (≥70 years) with low or medium education.
  • No significant decrease in MCE hospitalization risk was observed for high-educated residents or younger age groups.

Conclusions:

  • The COVID-19 lockdown correlated with reduced MCE incidence, especially in elderly, low-educated individuals.
  • This trend raises concerns about potential undertreatment within this demographic.
  • Urgent clinical awareness and intervention are needed to prevent widening educational disparities in cardiovascular outcomes.
Abstract

Keywords:
health policypublic healthpublic health policysocial inequalitiessocio-economic

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