International research reveals the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on other causes of death

Researchers analyzed data on the causes of death from 24 countries before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers found that life expectancy fell in 2020 for all but four of the 24 countries included, with the US experiencing the largest decline of 2.1 years for men. In 2021, most countries experienced further declines in life expectancy, with women in Bulgaria and men in Latvia suffering the largest losses of more than two years.

Lead author Antonino Polizzi, a student at the Leverhulme Center for Demographic Science, said: “This study examines the direct and indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mortality around the world and highlights that the loss of life expectancy has still not returned to pre-pandemic levels. levels in several countries by 2022.”

The study found that, in addition to deaths from COVID-19, increased mortality from cardiovascular disease was a major contributor to the loss of life expectancy during the first two years of the pandemic, especially in Russia and Eastern Europe. The article ‘Indirect Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cause-of-Death Analysis of Life Expectancy Changes in 24 Countries, 2015 to 2022’ is published in PNAS nexus.

In 2020, losses from cardiovascular disease were greatest in Russia, where losses of 5.3 months were experienced. Bulgaria experienced a loss of 5.5 months in 2021 due to cardiovascular diseases. The authors suggest this could be due to shortcomings in the prevention or treatment of cardiovascular disease, or to under-recorded deaths from COVID-19.

Co-author Professor Jennifer Dowd, Deputy Director of the Leverhulme Center for Demographic Science and Oxford Population Health’s Demographic Science Unit, said: “The pandemic reversed years of progress in reducing cardiovascular deaths in several countries, marking one of were the largest sources of profit. in life expectancy in the period 2015–2019. These losses continued through 2022.”

The study also found that mortality from substance abuse and mental health-related causes had increased in some countries during the pandemic. The US and Canada saw a continued increase in drug-related deaths, contributing to the decline in life expectancy. Alcohol-related mortality also increased, with Latvia experiencing a significant loss of life expectancy. However, deaths from suicide and accidents generally declined during the years of the pandemic.

Japan and South Korea experienced minimal loss of life expectancy during the pandemic and were the exception to most of these trends. However, women in Japan experienced relatively large losses due to suicide deaths in 2020.

On a more positive note, cancer mortality continued to decline overall in most countries. The authors speculate that cancer care was less disrupted than expected during the pandemic, or that people with cancer were more susceptible to deaths from COVID-19, which were not then counted as cancer deaths.

The study concludes by underscoring the need for robust healthcare systems capable of addressing crises without compromising care for other conditions. It also highlights the importance of targeted public health interventions to address the varying impacts across countries and age groups.

Co-author Dr. José Manuel Aburto, demographer at the Leverhulme Center for Demographic Science and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “This study highlights the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic has affected other causes of death, and the need to address different diseases and causes of death in analyze a post-pandemic context to identify factors that can improve global healthcare systems.”