TY - JOUR
T1 - Cause-Specific Excess Mortality During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020–2021) in 12 Countries of the C-MOR Consortium
AU - The C-MOR Consortium
AU - Beeks, Victoria Virginia
AU - Achilleos, Souzana
AU - Quattrocchi, Annalisa
AU - Pallari, Chryso Th
AU - Critselis, Elena
AU - Salameh, Pascale
AU - Rahmanian Haghighi, Mohammad Reza
AU - Rodriguez-Llanes, Jose Manuel
AU - Ambrosio, Giuseppe
AU - Artemiou, Andreas
AU - Gabel, John
AU - Bennett, Catherine Marie
AU - Cuthbertson, Joseph
AU - Zimmermann, Claudia
AU - Schernhammer, Eva Susanna
AU - Costa, Antonio José Leal
AU - de Carvalho, Luciana Freire
AU - Lobato, Jackeline Christiane Pinto
AU - Athanasiadou, Maria
AU - Critchley, Julia Alison
AU - Goldsmith, Lucy Pollyanna
AU - Kandelaki, Levan
AU - Glushkova, Natalya
AU - Davletov, Kairat
AU - Semenova, Yuliya
AU - Erzen, Ivan
AU - Verstiuk, Olesia
AU - Alekkou, Dimos
AU - Polemitis, Antonis
AU - Charalambous, Andreas
AU - Demetriou, Christiana A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024/6
Y1 - 2024/6
N2 - Background: This study investigated cause-specific mortality rates in 12 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Methods: We collected weekly cause-specific mortality data from respiratory disease, pneumonia, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer from national vital statistic databases. We calculated excess mortality for respiratory disease (excluding COVID-19 codes), pneumonia, and CVD in 2020 and 2021 by comparing observed weekly against expected mortality based on historical data (2015–2019), accounting for seasonal trends. We used multilevel regression models to investigate the association between country-level pandemic-related variables and cause-specific mortality. Results: Significant reductions in cumulative mortality from respiratory disease and pneumonia were observed in 2020 and/or 2021, except for Georgia, Northern Ireland, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine, which exhibited excess mortality for one or both causes. Australia, Austria, Cyprus, Georgia, and Northern Ireland experienced excess cumulative CVD mortality in 2020 and/or 2021. Australia, Austria, Brazil, Cyprus, Georgia, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Slovenia, experienced increased crude cumulative cancer mortality during 2020 and/or 2021 compared to previous years. Among pandemic-related variables, reported COVID-19 incidence was negatively associated with increased cancer mortality, excess respiratory, (2020) and pneumonia (2021) mortality, and positively associated with respiratory and CVD mortality (2021). Stringency of control measures were negatively associated with excess respiratory disease, CVD, and increased cancer mortality (2021). Conclusions: This study provides evidence of substantial excess mortality from CVD, and notable reductions in respiratory disease and pneumonia in both years across most countries investigated. Our study also highlights the beneficial impact of stringent control measures in mitigating excess mortality from most causes in 2021.
AB - Background: This study investigated cause-specific mortality rates in 12 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Methods: We collected weekly cause-specific mortality data from respiratory disease, pneumonia, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer from national vital statistic databases. We calculated excess mortality for respiratory disease (excluding COVID-19 codes), pneumonia, and CVD in 2020 and 2021 by comparing observed weekly against expected mortality based on historical data (2015–2019), accounting for seasonal trends. We used multilevel regression models to investigate the association between country-level pandemic-related variables and cause-specific mortality. Results: Significant reductions in cumulative mortality from respiratory disease and pneumonia were observed in 2020 and/or 2021, except for Georgia, Northern Ireland, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine, which exhibited excess mortality for one or both causes. Australia, Austria, Cyprus, Georgia, and Northern Ireland experienced excess cumulative CVD mortality in 2020 and/or 2021. Australia, Austria, Brazil, Cyprus, Georgia, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Slovenia, experienced increased crude cumulative cancer mortality during 2020 and/or 2021 compared to previous years. Among pandemic-related variables, reported COVID-19 incidence was negatively associated with increased cancer mortality, excess respiratory, (2020) and pneumonia (2021) mortality, and positively associated with respiratory and CVD mortality (2021). Stringency of control measures were negatively associated with excess respiratory disease, CVD, and increased cancer mortality (2021). Conclusions: This study provides evidence of substantial excess mortality from CVD, and notable reductions in respiratory disease and pneumonia in both years across most countries investigated. Our study also highlights the beneficial impact of stringent control measures in mitigating excess mortality from most causes in 2021.
KW - Cancer
KW - Cardiovascular diseases
KW - Cause-specific mortality
KW - COVID-19
KW - Public health measures
KW - Respiratory tract infections
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85193791081&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s44197-024-00242-4
DO - 10.1007/s44197-024-00242-4
M3 - Article
C2 - 38775902
AN - SCOPUS:85193791081
SN - 2210-6006
VL - 14
SP - 337
EP - 348
JO - Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health
JF - Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health
IS - 2
ER -