scholarly journals Patterns of COVID-19 related excess mortality in the municipalities of Northern Italy

Author(s):  
Dino Gibertoni ◽  
Kadjo Yves Cedric Adja ◽  
Davide Golinelli ◽  
Chiara Reno ◽  
Luca Regazzi ◽  
...  

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) spatial distribution in Italy is inhomogeneous, because of its ways of spreading from the initial hotspots. The impact of COVID-19 on mortality has been described at the regional level, while less is known about mortality in demographic subgroups within municipalities. We aimed to describe the excess mortality (EM) due to COVID-19 in the three most affected Italian regions, by estimating EM in subgroups defined by gender and age classes within each municipality from February 23 to March 31, 2020. EM varied widely among municipalities even within the same region; it was similar between genders for the ≥75 age group, while in the other age groups it was higher in males. Thus, nearby municipalities may show a different mortality burden despite being under common regional health policies, possibly as a result of policies adopted both at the regional and at the municipality level.

2018 ◽  
Vol 146 (16) ◽  
pp. 2059-2065 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. R. Freitas ◽  
P. M. Alarcón-Elbal ◽  
M. R. Donalisio

AbstractIn some chikungunya epidemics, deaths are not completely captured by traditional surveillance systems, which record case and death reports. We evaluated excess deaths associated with the 2014 chikungunya virus (CHIKV) epidemic in Guadeloupe and Martinique, Antilles. Population (784 097 inhabitants) and mortality data, estimated by sex and age, were accessed from the Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques in France. Epidemiological data, cases, hospitalisations and deaths on CHIKV were obtained from the official epidemiological reports of the Cellule de Institut de Veille Sanitaire in France. Excess deaths were calculated as the difference between the expected and observed deaths for all age groups for each month in 2014 and 2015, considering the upper limit of 99% confidence interval. The Pearson correlation coefficient showed a strong correlation between monthly excess deaths and reported cases of chikungunya (R= 0.81,p< 0.005) and with a 1-month lag (R= 0.87,p< 0.001); and a strong correlation was also observed between monthly rates of hospitalisation for CHIKV and excess deaths with a delay of 1 month (R= 0.87,p< 0.0005). The peak of the epidemic occurred in the month with the highest mortality, returning to normal soon after the end of the CHIKV epidemic. There were excess deaths in almost all age groups, and excess mortality rate was higher among the elderly but was similar between male and female individuals. The overall mortality estimated in the current study (639 deaths) was about four times greater than that obtained through death declarations (160 deaths). Although the aetiological diagnosis of all deaths associated with CHIKV infection is not always possible, already well-known statistical tools can contribute to the evaluation of the impact of CHIKV on mortality and morbidity in the different age groups.


Author(s):  
E.L. Bazarova ◽  
◽  
I.S. Osherov ◽  
N.A. Roslaya ◽  

Abstract: Relevance. Local vibration is a significant factor in the production environment of metallurgical production, which affects health and efficiency. The aim of the study is to identify the exposure, gender and age features of the formation of general somatic morbidity associated with the impact of local vibration in the production of titanium alloys. Scope and methods. The prevalence of general somatic pathology was compared in 2596 workers who have contact with local vibration, with varying degrees of harmfulness of working conditions, and non-exposed persons according to the results of periodic medical examination using the methodology of occupational risk analysis of the Research Institute of Occupational Medicine. academician N. F. Izmerov. Results. At comparison of prevalence of a somatic pathology at workers in contact to local vibration to not exhibited persons according to medical inspection, and at different degree of harm of working conditions, are revealed the raised risks of formation of diseases nervous, kostno-muscular, endocrine systems, respiratory organs, digestion, an ear, a skin, an arterial hypertensia, the mental frustration, the raised weight of a body, gynecologic diseases with a tendency of growth of the majority of them at the big levels of vibration, more often at small, less often - average degree of communication with working conditions. The frequency of pathology in exposed workers was higher in all age groups. Average degree of communication with working conditions of a gynecologic pathology at the age of 18-25 years was marked. At men frequency of a pathology of respiratory organs, digestion is revealed authentically big, than at women; an ear; skin at the big relative risks 1,2-1,3, of the raised arterial pressure and hyperglycemia. Conclusion. A higher frequency of visceral pathology of a number of body systems under the influence of local vibration of high levels may justify the need to develop differentiated preventive programs to minimize its negative impact, taking into account the identified features in sex and age groups.


2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (9) ◽  
pp. 810-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margit Kriegbaum ◽  
Charlotte Ørsted Hougaard ◽  
Ingelise Andersen ◽  
Henrik Brønnum-Hansen ◽  
Rikke Lund

BackgroundSocial inequality in ischaemic heart disease has been related to socioeconomic position in childhood, early adulthood and late adulthood. However, the impact of relative level of accumulated income periods across adult life course and the potential gender and age differences have not been investigated. The aim was to investigate the association between relative level of accumulated income across the life course and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) from age 60+ years and to study if the associations differ by gender and in different age groups (30–39 years, 40–49 years and 50–59 years).MethodsAll Danes born 1935–1954 (N=1 235 139) were followed up in registers for incident AMI (42 669 cases). The accumulated proportional deviation from median equivalised income (APDMEI) for each gender/age/calendar year strata was constructed and divided in quartiles. The associations were analysed by means of Cox’s proportional hazard models.ResultsAmong men, those in the lowest APDMEI quartile had an HR 1.40 (1.35–1.45) of AMI compared with the highest quartile. Those in the second and third highest quartiles had HR of 1.24 (1.20–1.28) and 1.14 (1.10–1.18), respectively. Among women, the lowest quartile had an HR of 1.78 (1.69–1.88), the second 1.45 (1.37–1.53) and the third 1.19 (1.13–1.26). The social gradient was similar across the different age groups.ConclusionThe risk of AMI increased with lower levels of relative accumulated income across the life course. While men generally had a higher risk of AMI, the social gradient was steeper in women. There was no indication of a specific sensitive age period for exposure to relative level of accumulated income.


Author(s):  
Benjamin Roche ◽  
Andres Garchitorena ◽  
David Roiz

AbstractDue to the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries have implemented a complete lockdown of their population that may not be sustainable for long. To identify the best strategy to replace this full lockdown, sophisticated models that rely on mobility data have been developed. In this study, using the example of France as a case-study, we develop a simple model considering contacts between age classes to derive the general impact of partial lockdown strategies targeted at specific age groups. We found that epidemic suppression can only be achieved by targeting isolation of young and middle age groups with high efficiency. All other strategies tested result in a flatter epidemic curve, with outcomes in (e.g. mortality and health system over-capacity) dependent of the age groups targeted and the isolation efficiency. Targeting only the elderly can decrease the expected mortality burden, but in proportions lower than more integrative strategies involving several age groups. While not aiming to provide quantitative forecasts, our study shows the benefits and constraints of different partial lockdown strategies, which could help guide decision-making.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. e007399
Author(s):  
Chalapati Rao ◽  
Amrit Jose John ◽  
Ajit Kumar Yadav ◽  
Mansha Siraj

BackgroundEstimates of excess mortality are required to assess and compare the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic across populations. For India, reliable baseline prepandemic mortality patterns at national and subnational level are necessary for such assessments. However, available data from the Civil Registration System (CRS) is affected by incompleteness of death recording that varies by sex, age and location.MethodsUnder-reporting of CRS 2019 deaths was assessed for three age groups (< 5 years, 15–59 years and ≥60 years) at subnational level, through comparison with age-specific death rates from alternate sources. Age-specific corrections for under-reporting were applied to derive adjusted death counts by sex for each location. These were used to compute life expectancy (LE) at birth by sex in 2019, which were compared with subnational LEs from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 Study.ResultsA total of 9.92 million deaths (95% UI 9.70 to 10.02) were estimated across India in 2019, about 2.28 million more than CRS reports. Adjustments to under-five and elderly mortality accounted for 30% and 56% of additional deaths, respectively. Adjustments in Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh accounted for 75% of all additional deaths. Adjusted LEs were below corresponding GBD estimates by ≥2 years for males at national level and in 20 states, and by ≥1 year for females in 12 states.ConclusionsThese results represent the first-ever subnational mortality estimates for India derived from CRS reported deaths, and serve as a baseline for assessing excess mortality from the COVID-19 pandemic. Adjusted life expectancies indicate higher mortality patterns in India than previously perceived. Under-reporting of infant deaths and those among women and the elderly is evident in many locations. Further CRS strengthening is required to improve the empirical basis for local mortality measurement across the country.


2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Mazzilli ◽  
A Chieti ◽  
V Casigliani ◽  
S Forni ◽  
A Nannavecchia ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Evidence accumulated in the past months indicating that COVID-19 affects people at socioeconomic (SE) disadvantage more strongly. This is embodied by the COVID-19 syndemic concept, i.e., the biological, economic, and social interactions between non-communicable diseases and COVID-19 increase a person's susceptibility to infection and worse health outcomes. Here, we explored the relationship among the SE position and the risk of Sars-CoV-2 infection and disease severity in Tuscany and Apulia, two Italian regions, during the 1st(Feb-Jun2020) and 2nd(Sep-Dec2020) epidemic waves. Methods We included all individuals tested (only for Apulia) and/or resulted positive for SARS-CoV2(for Tuscany and Apulia) and reported to regional surveillance system. We linked surveillance data with the deprivation index (DI)(1-5 scale; DI = 5 highest deprivation) of the area of living. We calculated the relative risk (RR) of acquiring Sars-CoV-2, COVID-19-related hospitalization, and death of deprived individuals compared with people in the highest SEP-we adjusted for gender and age. Results A total of 159507 (82897 F; 76610 M) individuals with prior or current Sars-CoV-2 infection were included in our study, 71320 from Apulia and 88187 from Tuscany. For people aged over 30, and with a DI &gt; 2, the RR of acquiring the infection increased for individuals with higher DI. The RR of being hospitalized and of death, were significantly higher for people over 30 with DI = 5. In Apulia, test positivity rate was comparable across all population groups during the 1stwave, while it increased among individuals with higher DI during the 2ndwave. Conclusions According to our results, SE disadvantage is associated with an increased risk of acquiring Sars-CoV-2, and to suffer from severe outcomes when infected. Based on available data, diagnostic test access was more equitable during 1stepidemic wave. This study calls for targeted health policies and actions to protect those with the greatest SE vulnerability. Key messages Available Italian data, indicate that higher socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with an increased risk of acquiring Sars-CoV-2, and to suffer from severe outcomes when infected. Our study highlights the importance of adopting targeted health policies and action to protect those with the greatest socioeconomic vulnerability and enhance equity.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. R. Freitas ◽  
P. M. Alarcon-Elbal ◽  
M. R. Donalisio

AbstractIn some chikugunya epidemics, deaths are not fully captured by the traditional surveillance system, based on case reports and death reports. This is a time series study to evaluate the excess of mortality associated with epidemic of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in Guadeloupe and Martinique, Antilles, 2014. The population (total 784,097 inhabitants) and mortality data estimated by sex and age were accessed at the Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques - France. Age adjusted mortality rates were calculated also in Reunion, Indian Ocean for comparison. Epidemiological data on CHIKV (cases, hospitalizations, and deaths) were obtained in the official epidemiological reports of the Cellule de Institut de Veille Sanitaire - France. The excess of deaths for each month in 2014 and 2015 was the difference between the expected and observed deaths for all age groups, considering the 99% confidence interval threshold. Pearson coefficient of correlation between monthly excess of deaths and reported cases of chikungunya show a strong correlation (R = 0.81, p <0.005), also with a 1-month lag (R = 0.87, p <0.001), and between monthly rates of hospitalization for CHIKV and the excess of deaths with a delay of 1 month (R = 0.87, p <0.0005).The peak of the epidemic occurred in the month with the highest mortality, returning to normal soon after the end of the CHIKV epidemic. The overall mortality estimated by this method (639 deaths) was about 4 times greater than that obtained through death declarations (160 deaths). Excess mortality increased with age. Although etiological diagnosis of all deaths associated with CHIKV infection is not possible, already well-known statistical tools can contribute to an evaluation of the impact of this virus on the mortality and morbidity in the different age groups.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 434-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willibald Ruch ◽  
Sonja Heintz

The Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ; Martin et al., 2003) is one of the most frequently used questionnaires in humor research and has been adapted to several languages. The HSQ measures four humor styles (affiliative, self-enhancing, aggressive, and self-defeating), which should be adaptive or potentially maladaptive to psychosocial well-being. The present study analyzes the internal consistency, factorial validity, and factorial invariance of the HSQ on the basis of several German-speaking samples combined (total N = 1,101). Separate analyses were conducted for gender (male/female), age groups (16–24, 25–35, >36 years old), and countries (Germany/Switzerland). Internal consistencies were good for the overall sample and the demographic subgroups (.80–.89), with lower values obtained for the aggressive scale (.66–.73). Principal components and confirmatory factor analyses mostly supported the four-factor structure of the HSQ. Weak factorial invariance was found across gender and age groups, while strong factorial invariance was supported across countries. Two subsamples also provided self-ratings on ten styles of humorous conduct (n = 344) and of eight comic styles (n = 285). The four HSQ scales showed small to large correlations to the styles of humorous conduct (-.54 to .65) and small to medium correlations to the comic styles (-.27 to .42). The HSQ shared on average 27.5–35.0% of the variance with the styles of humorous conduct and 13.0–15.0% of the variance with the comic styles. Thus–despite similar labels–these styles of humorous conduct and comic styles differed from the HSQ humor styles.


2021 ◽  
pp. jech-2020-215505
Author(s):  
Jose Manuel Aburto ◽  
Ridhi Kashyap ◽  
Jonas Schöley ◽  
Colin Angus ◽  
John Ermisch ◽  
...  

BackgroundDeaths directly linked to COVID-19 infection may be misclassified, and the pandemic may have indirectly affected other causes of death. To overcome these measurement challenges, we estimate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mortality, life expectancy and lifespan inequality from week 10 of 2020, when the first COVID-19 death was registered, to week 47 ending 20 November 2020 in England and Wales through an analysis of excess mortality.MethodsWe estimated age and sex-specific excess mortality risk and deaths above a baseline adjusted for seasonality with a systematic comparison of four different models using data from the Office for National Statistics. We additionally provide estimates of life expectancy at birth and lifespan inequality defined as the SD in age at death.ResultsThere have been 57 419 (95% prediction interval: 54 197, 60 752) excess deaths in the first 47 weeks of 2020, 55% of which occurred in men. Excess deaths increased sharply with age and men experienced elevated risks of death in all age groups. Life expectancy at birth dropped 0.9 and 1.2 years for women and men relative to the 2019 levels, respectively. Lifespan inequality also fell over the same period by 5 months for both sexes.ConclusionQuantifying excess deaths and their impact on life expectancy at birth provide a more comprehensive picture of the burden of COVID-19 on mortality. Whether mortality will return to—or even fall below—the baseline level remains to be seen as the pandemic continues to unfold and diverse interventions are put in place.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zewen Hu ◽  
Xiaocai Zhang ◽  
Jingjing Cui ◽  
Lijie Zhang ◽  
Wasim Ahmed

AbstractMeteorological disasters frequently occur in China and around the world. These natural hazards can cause huge economic losses and threaten the personal safety of citizens. The public’s willingness to engage with disaster relief efforts and the degree of participation is critical to reduce the impact of such disasters. This study conducted a survey with 62,903 respondents from China. The study utilized statistical analysis and correlation analysis in order to understand the differences and similarities of the public’s willingness to take part in disaster relief across gender and age. The study found that: (1) the public’s awareness of insurance and willingness to make donations during climate disasters is low, and that more than half of the public are only willing to insure for very less money; (2) although the public has very high enthusiasm to participate in disaster relief, they are less willing to learn the basic skills of reducing disasters and for participating in training for disaster reduction as volunteers. This was especially the case for elderly citizens and females; (3) the willingness of the public to prevent and reduce disasters is high, and this was the case across various gender and age groups. Finally, the study puts forward several measures to improve the uptake of disaster relief and disaster prevention among citizens.


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