Table 1.
Comparison of admission and sudden cardiac death rates in representative metropolitan areas of Greece between Covid-19 self-containment period in 2020 and control period in 2019
| 2020 N (%) | 2019 N (%) | IR 2020 (95% CI) | IR 2019 (95%CI) | IRR (95% CI) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Admissions | 182 (100%) | 532 (100%) | 6.07 (5.21–7.01) | 17.73 (16.26–19.31) | 0.34 (0.29–0.41) | <0.0005 |
| ACS Admissions | 33 (18.1%) | 54 (10.2%) | 1.1 (0.76–1.54) | 1.8 (1.35–2.34) | 0.61 (0.38–0.96) | 0.02 |
| Total Deaths | 171 (100%) | 208 (100%) | 5.7 (4.88–6.62) | 6.9 (6.02–7.94) | 0.82 (0.67–1.01) | 0.06 |
| ACDs | 81 (47.4%) | 83 (39.9%) | 2.7 (2.14–3.36) | 2.8 (2.20–3.43) | 0.98 (0.71–1.34) | 0.88 |
| VDs | 33 (19.3%) | 50 (23.9%) | 1.1 (0.76–1.54) | 1.67 (1.24–2.20) | 0.66 (0.41–1.04) | 0.06 |
| Traffic Acc. Deaths | 4 (2.3%) | 20 (9.6%) | 0.13 (0.04–0.34) | 0.67 (0.41–1.03) | 0.2 (0.05–0.60) | 0.001 |
| CVDs | 13 (7.6%) | 31 (14.9%) | 0.43 (0.23–0.74) | 1.03 (0.70–1.47) | 0.42 (0.20–0.82) | 0.007 |
The study period was defined as the time between the initiation of strict self-containment measures in Greece (March 15th 2020) and for one month (till April 14th 2020). The control period was a corresponding period from March 15th to April 14th, 2019—a year earlier. CI denotes confidence interval, IR: Incidence Rate, IRR: Incidence Rate Ratio, ACS: Acute Coronary Syndrome, ACDs: Acute Coronary Deaths, VDs: Violent Deaths, Traffic Acc. Deaths: Traffic Accident Deaths, CVDS: Cardiovascular Deaths other than ACDs (aortic aneurysm dissection/rupture, massive pulmonary embolism, intracerebral hemorrhage, and sudden cardiac death secondary to underlying cardiomyopathy). Data for this analysis were retrieved from the official records of University Forensic Departments of Athens and Thessaloniki and the Forensic Science Service of Thessaloniki, Greece, covering ~2.5 million people. Representative ACS admission data were collected through the University Cardiology Departments of Thessaloniki, Greece (corresponding to 1.5 million people). p values in bold are meant for statistical significance, while IRR values < 1 indicate a reduction of incidents in Covid-19 era.