Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35287022›Full record

Observational studyPublic health2022

COVID or not COVID: attributing and reporting cause of death in a community cohort.

B M J Lampl, M Lang, C Jochem, M F Leitzmann, B Salzberger

Open access · greenAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
2.8field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 28 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

B M J LamplRegensburg Department of Public Health, Altmühlstr. 3, 93059, Regensburg, Germany; Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Regensburg, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053, Regensburg, Germany. Electronic address: benedikt.lampl@landratsamt-regensburg.de.
M LangRegensburg Department of Public Health, Altmühlstr. 3, 93059, Regensburg, Germany.
C JochemDepartment of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Regensburg, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053, Regensburg, Germany.
M F LeitzmannDepartment of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Regensburg, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053, Regensburg, Germany.
B SalzbergerDepartment of Infection Control and Infectious Disease, University of Regensburg, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053, Regensburg, Germany.
University Hospital Regensburg · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesIn Germany, deaths of SARS-CoV-2-positive persons are reported as 'death related to SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19' to the Robert Koch Institute, Germany's main infectious disease institution. In 177 COVID-19-associated deaths reported in Regensburg, Germany, from October 2020 to January 2021, we investigated how deaths following SARS-CoV-2 infection were reported and whether cases with a death attributed to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19 death [CD]) differed from cases with a reported death from other causes (non-COVID-19 death [NCD]). STUDY

designThis was an observational retrospective cohort study.

methodsWe analysed descriptive data on the numbers of cases, deaths, age, sex, symptoms and hospitalizations. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) and performed Chi-squared/Fisher's exact test for categorical variables and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test for comparison of medians.

resultsDeaths attributed to COVID-19 occurred primarily in elderly patients. The mortality rate and the case fatality ratio (CFR) increased with age. The median age and the prevalence of risk factors were similar between CD and NCD. Respiratory symptoms and pneumonia at the time of diagnosis were associated with death reported as CD. The odds of CD attribution in cases hospitalized because of COVID-19 were 6-fold higher than the odds of NCD (OR: 6.00; 95% CI: 1.32 to 27.22).

conclusionsRespiratory symptoms/pneumonia at the time of diagnosis and hospitalization due to COVID-19 were associated with attributing a death to COVID-19. Numbers of COVID deaths need to be interpreted with caution. Criteria that facilitate attributing the cause of death among SARS-CoV-2 cases more uniformly could make these figures more comparable.

Indexed as

COVID-19Noncommunicable DiseasesAgedCause of DeathCohort StudiesHospitalizationHumansRetrospective StudiesSARS-CoV-2Case fatality ratioCause of deathCOVID-19HospitalizationPneumonia

Identifiers

PMID35287022
PMCPMC8916663
OpenAlexW4220941150

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.