Dataset Information

"Missing" acute coronary syndrome hospitalizations during the COVID-19 era in Greece: Medical care avoidance combined with a true reduction in incidence?

ABSTRACT:

Background

Reports from countries severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic suggest a decline in acute coronary syndrome (ACS)-related hospitalizations. The generalizability of this observation on ACS admissions and possible related causes in countries with low COVID-19 incidence are not known.

Hypothesis

ACS admissions were reduced in a country spared by COVID-19.

Methods

We conducted a nationwide study on the incidence rates of ACS-related admissions during a 6-week period of the COVID-19 outbreak and the corresponding control period in 2019 in Greece, a country with strict social measures, low COVID-19 incidence, and no excess in mortality.

Results

ACS admissions in the COVID-19 (n = 771) compared with the control (n = 1077) period were reduced overall (incidence rate ratio [IRR]: 0.72, P < .001) and for each ACS type (ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction [STEMI]: IRR: 0.76, P = .001; non-STEMI: IRR: 0.74, P < .001; and unstable angina [UA]: IRR: 0.63, P = .002). The decrease in STEMI admissions was stable throughout the COVID-19 period (temporal correlation; R² = 0.11, P = .53), whereas there was a gradual decline in non-STEMI/UA admissions (R² = 0.75, P = .026) following the progressively stricter social measures. During the COVID-19 period, patients admitted with ACS presented more frequently with left ventricular systolic impairment (22.2 vs 15.5% control period; P < .001).

Conclusions

We observed a reduction in ACS hospitalizations during the COVID-19 outbreak in a country with strict social measures, low community transmission, and no excess in mortality. Medical care avoidance behavior is an important factor for these observations, while a true reduction of the ACS incidence due to self-isolation/quarantining may have also played a role.

SUBMITTER: Papafaklis MI

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7404667 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

"Missing" acute coronary syndrome hospitalizations during the COVID-19 era in Greece: Medical care avoidance combined with a true reduction in incidence?

Papafaklis Michail I MI Katsouras Christos S CS Tsigkas Grigorios G Toutouzas Konstantinos K Davlouros Periklis P Hahalis George N GN Kousta Maria S MS Styliadis Ioannis G IG Triantafyllou Konstantinos K Pappas Loukas L Tsiourantani Fotini F Varytimiadi Efthymia E Anyfantakis Zacharias-Alexandros ZA Iakovis Nikolaos N Grammata Paraskevi P Karvounis Haralambos H Ziakas Antonios A Sianos George G Tziakas Dimitrios D Pappa Evgenia E Dagre Anna A Patsilinakos Sotirios S Trikas Athanasios A Lamprou Thomais T Mamarelis Ioannis I Katsimagklis Georgios G Karmpaliotis Dimitri D Naka Katerina K Michalis Lampros K LK

Clinical cardiology 20200721 10

<h4>Background</h4>Reports from countries severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic suggest a decline in acute coronary syndrome (ACS)-related hospitalizations. The generalizability of this observation on ACS admissions and possible related causes in countries with low COVID-19 incidence are not known.<h4>Hypothesis</h4>ACS admissions were reduced in a country spared by COVID-19.<h4>Methods</h4>We conducted a nationwide study on the incidence rates of ACS-related admissions during a 6-week period of ...[more]

PMID: 32691901

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Dataset Information

"Missing" acute coronary syndrome hospitalizations during the COVID-19 era in Greece: Medical care avoidance combined with a true reduction in incidence?

Background

Hypothesis

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

"Missing" acute coronary syndrome hospitalizations during the COVID-19 era in Greece: Medical care avoidance combined with a true reduction in incidence?

Similar Datasets

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