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. 2022 Sep 2;19(17):11002.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph191711002.

Social Isolation, Hospitalization, and Deaths from Cardiovascular Diseases during the COVID-19 Epidemic in São Paulo Metropolitan Area in 2020

Lucas Rodrigues de Lima  1 , Paulo Francisco Auricchio da Ponte  1 , Lucca Novais Dias  1 , Marcelo Henrique Lima Silvestre  1 , Paulo Jeng Chian Suen  1 , Antonio de Padua Mansur  1   2
Affiliations

Social Isolation, Hospitalization, and Deaths from Cardiovascular Diseases during the COVID-19 Epidemic in São Paulo Metropolitan Area in 2020

Lucas Rodrigues de Lima et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 epidemic overloaded the São Paulo metropolitan area (SPMA) health system in 2020. The leading hospitals directed their attention to patients with COVID-19. At the same time, the SPMA Health Secretary decreed social isolation (SI), which compromised the care for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), even though higher cardiovascular events were expected.

Methods: This study analyzed mortality from CVD, ischemic heart disease (IHD), and stroke, along with hospital admissions for CVD, IHD, stroke, and SI in the SPMA in 2020. Data regarding hospitalization and mortality from CVD were obtained from the SPMA Health Department, and data regarding SI was obtained from the São Paulo Intelligent Monitoring System. Time-series trends were analyzed by linear regression, as well as comparisons between these trends.

Results: there was an inverse correlation between SI and hospitalizations for CVD (R2 = 0.70; p < 0.001), IHD (R2 = 0.70; p < 0.001), and stroke (R2 = 0.39; p < 0.001). The most significant hospitalization reduction was from March to May, when the SI increased from 43.07% to 50.71%. The increase in SI was also associated with a reduction in CVD deaths (R2 = 0.49; p < 0.001), IHD (R2 = 0.50; p < 0.001), and stroke (R2 = 0.26; p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Increased social isolation was associated with reduced hospitalizations and deaths from CVD, IHD, and stroke.

Keywords: COVID-19; cardiovascular diseases; cerebrovascular diseases; hospitalizations; ischemic heart diseases; mortality; social isolation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Correlation between weekly social isolation and hospitalization per 100,000 inhabitants from cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, and stroke.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Correlation between weekly social isolation and deaths per 100,000 inhabitants from cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, and stroke.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A) Correlation between weekly social isolation and weekly deaths from cardiovascular disease; (B) Correlation between weekly social isolation and weekly deaths from ischemic heart disease; (C) Correlation between weekly social isolation and weekly deaths stroke.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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