Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

eppur_se_muova

(41,948 posts)
Fri Jan 27, 2023, 10:29 AM Jan 2023

COVID Toll: Big Jump in Cardiovascular-Related Deaths Reported by American Heart Association

By American Heart Association January 25, 2023

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people dying from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the U.S. escalated from 874,613 CVD-related deaths recorded in 2019 to 928,741 in 2020. The rise in the number of CVD deaths in 2020 represents the largest single-year increase since 2015 and topped the previous high of 910,000 recorded in 2003, according to the latest available data from the Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics — 2023 Update of the American Heart Association, a global force for healthier lives for all, and published today in the Association’s flagship, peer-reviewed journal Circulation.

“While the total number of CVD-related deaths increased from 2019 to 2020, what may be even more telling is that our age-adjusted mortality rate increased for the first time in many years and by a fairly substantial 4.6%,” said the volunteer chair of the Statistical Update writing group Connie W. Tsao, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and attending staff cardiologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. “The age-adjusted mortality rate takes into consideration that the total population may have more older adults from one year to another, in which case you might expect higher rates of death among older people. So even though our total number of deaths have been slowly increasing over the past decade, we have seen a decline each year in our age-adjusted rates – until 2020. I think that is very indicative of what has been going on within our country – and the world – in light of people of all ages being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially before vaccines were available to slow the spread.”

The biggest increases in the overall number of CVD-related deaths were seen among Asian, Black, and Hispanic people, populations most impacted in the early days of the pandemic, and brought to focus increasing structural and societal disparities.

“We know that COVID-19 took a tremendous toll, and preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have shown that there was a substantial increase in the loss of lives from all causes since the start of the pandemic. That this likely translated to an increase in overall cardiovascular deaths, while disheartening, is not surprising. In fact, the Association predicted this trend, which is now official,” said the American Heart Association’s volunteer president, Michelle A. Albert, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, the Walter A. Haas-Lucie Stern Endowed Chair in Cardiology, a professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) and Admissions Dean for UCSF Medical School. “COVID-19 has both direct and indirect impacts on cardiovascular health. As we learned, the virus is associated with new clotting and inflammation. We also know that many people who had new or existing heart disease and stroke symptoms were reluctant to seek medical care, particularly in the early days of the pandemic. This resulted in people presenting with more advanced stages of cardiovascular conditions and needing more acute or urgent treatment for what may have been manageable chronic conditions. And, sadly, appears to have cost many their lives.
***
more: https://scitechdaily.com/covid-toll-big-jump-in-cardiovascular-related-deaths-reported-by-american-heart-association/


Note that the data are for 2020, when the spread of the virus was mostly unchecked by vaccinations. It's the virus that kills people, not the vaccines, as has been proven over and over again.

Most of the article focuses on heart disease; vaccines are mentioned in passing.

12 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
COVID Toll: Big Jump in Cardiovascular-Related Deaths Reported by American Heart Association (Original Post) eppur_se_muova Jan 2023 OP
also because of the lockdown people with cardiac problems were not seeking medical attention mucifer Jan 2023 #1
Added bold to the OP. nt eppur_se_muova Jan 2023 #2
Pause that, please. This article is trying to call attention to the very real JCMach1 Jan 2023 #3
+1 2naSalit Jan 2023 #4
It's literally in the article Sympthsical Jan 2023 #11
Covid can cause heart issues. I have AFib Demsrule86 Jan 2023 #9
I can attest. blm Jan 2023 #5
Expect that number to go up as the "Bring Back Smoking" caucus continues its dirty work. Aristus Jan 2023 #6
Kick dalton99a Jan 2023 #7
My response when assholes automatically say the vaccine louis-t Jan 2023 #8
You bring up a great point, the anti vaxxers think they have been proven right. Johnny2X2X Jan 2023 #10
So all those employees of fox should be frightened to death. louis-t Jan 2023 #12

mucifer

(25,667 posts)
1. also because of the lockdown people with cardiac problems were not seeking medical attention
Fri Jan 27, 2023, 10:37 AM
Jan 2023

JCMach1

(29,202 posts)
3. Pause that, please. This article is trying to call attention to the very real
Fri Jan 27, 2023, 10:42 AM
Jan 2023

Cardiovascular effects following from Covid.

Let's not confuse the issue.

Sympthsical

(10,969 posts)
11. It's literally in the article
Fri Jan 27, 2023, 01:24 PM
Jan 2023
We also know that many people who had new or existing heart disease and stroke symptoms were reluctant to seek medical care, particularly in the early days of the pandemic. This resulted in people presenting with more advanced stages of cardiovascular conditions and needing more acute or urgent treatment for what may have been manageable chronic conditions. And, sadly, appears to have cost many their lives.”


I returned to college for nursing, and one of the conversations we've had in physiology is about the "hidden" effects of the Covid pandemic that are unrelated to the virus itself. One of them is increased hesitancy to seek treatment, which this article discusses and we've seen right here on this board. More than one poster has discussed their reluctance to go to doctors' offices or hospitals.

The second hidden risk factor doctors are seeing more of is poorer cardiovascular health due to lack of exercise and poorer diet. Gyms closed, people stayed home quite a bit more, shopped for fresh food less (reduced grocery visits). Obesity rose. Stress levels increased (and stress can cause a lot of problems with the CVS).

Covid became a multi-factorial problem with public health. The effects of the virus, of course, but there was a lot that went along with the pandemic. An increase in cardiovascular related death isn't all going to be the virus itself. It's the American Heart Association. They're going to discuss this sort of thing. Kind of their job. The article gets into it all.

Demsrule86

(71,542 posts)
9. Covid can cause heart issues. I have AFib
Fri Jan 27, 2023, 12:57 PM
Jan 2023

and now likely cardiac failure. I was in good health no meds at all before Covid. Now I have to take multiple meds and will soon have ablation as the meds are not working.

Aristus

(72,188 posts)
6. Expect that number to go up as the "Bring Back Smoking" caucus continues its dirty work.
Fri Jan 27, 2023, 11:46 AM
Jan 2023

I'm trying to keep my patients away from cigarettes with promises, threats, curses, and wishes. And it's not doing any good. And the squalid fuckbrains in the GOP are just going to make it worse.

louis-t

(24,618 posts)
8. My response when assholes automatically say the vaccine
Fri Jan 27, 2023, 11:59 AM
Jan 2023

is responsible every time a celebrity dies. "Yeah, because no one ever died before the vaccines came out."

Johnny2X2X

(24,210 posts)
10. You bring up a great point, the anti vaxxers think they have been proven right.
Fri Jan 27, 2023, 01:07 PM
Jan 2023

I'm not sure that a lot of people here are aware, but the anti-vaxxers have spent the last few months claiming victory, it's a huge point for them right now, that the vaccines are more dangerous than Covid, they're running with that non stop right now. They legit think the vaccines killed more people than Covid, and that the unvaccinated are the ones left. Every death they see right now among the famous they blame on vaccines. Every Covid related death they claim was really a death from the vaccine.

They've invented a reality where they were right about vaccines. And this isn't some far reach of the internets theory going around, FOX News is saying some of it too. Even some politicians on the Right are making these fraudulent claims.

I witnessed a group on a message board claim the CDC's study of their system to detect vaccine side effects was conclusive that the vaccines are killing people from myocarditis in massive numbers. They actually linked the full study, but ignored 90% of it and instead focused on a couple paragraphs. This is out there, they think the vaccines killed all of these people, and it's gaining steam.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»COVID Toll: Big Jump in C...