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Associations between mortality from COVID-19 and other causes: A state-level analysis.
Anneliese N Luck1, Andrew C Stokes2, Katherine Hempstead3
1Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America.
Plos One
|March 6, 2023
Summary
COVID-19 significantly increased mortality beyond direct deaths, with circulatory diseases being the primary driver of excess deaths. Understanding these indirect impacts is crucial for public health strategies.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Mortality Statistics
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic caused a substantial rise in mortality, not only from the virus itself but also from other causes of death.
- This study investigates the spatial variations in the relationship between COVID-19 mortality and changes in mortality from other specific causes across US states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the relationship between COVID-19 mortality and shifts in mortality from specific non-COVID-19 causes of death.
- To identify which specific causes of death were most affected by the pandemic's mortality burden.
Main Methods:
- Utilized cause-specific mortality data from CDC Wonder and US Census Bureau population estimates.
- Calculated age-standardized death rates (ASDR) for various causes and age groups across all US states.
- Employed linear regression analysis, weighted by state population, to examine associations between COVID-19 ASDR and changes in other cause-specific ASDR.
Main Results:
- Non-COVID-19 causes accounted for an estimated 19.6% of the total mortality burden linked to COVID-19 in the first year.
- Circulatory diseases (51.3%), dementia (16.4%), and other respiratory diseases (12.4%) were major contributors to this excess mortality burden.
- An inverse association was observed between COVID-19 death rates and changes in cancer mortality rates, with no link to external causes.
Conclusions:
- States with high COVID-19 death rates experienced a disproportionately larger overall mortality burden.
- Circulatory disease was the primary pathway through which COVID-19 mortality influenced other causes of death.
- Findings can inform state-level interventions to mitigate the comprehensive mortality impact of the pandemic.
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