Excess all-cause mortality during COVID-19 outbreak: potential role of untreated cardiovascular disease
Andrea Saglietto, Fabrizio D’Ascenzo, Elena Cavarretta, Giacomo Frati, Matteo Anselmino, Francesco Versaci, Giuseppe Biondi‐Zoccai, Gaetano Maria De Ferrari
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has rapidly spread globally. Due to different testing strategies, under-detection of positive subjects and COVID-19-related-deaths remains common. Aim of this analysis was to assess the real impact of COVID-19 through the analysis of 2020 Italian all-cause mortality data compared to historical series. METHODS: , 2020), as well as for this entire timeframe. Subgroup analysis by age groups was also performed. RESULTS: , 2020) with an estimated value of 2.65 [2.53-2.78]. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis of all-cause mortality data in Italy indicates that reported COVID-19-related deaths are an underestimate of the actual death toll. All-cause death should be seen as the epidemiological indicator of choice to assess the real mortality impact exerted by SARS-CoV-2, given that it also best reflects the toll on frail patient subsets (e.g. the elderly or those with cardiovascular disease).