ArticleBMC public health2022
Excess mortality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia: a population-level analysis of all-cause and noncommunicable disease deaths in 2020.
Article in BMC public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 46 citations in OpenAlex.
- Excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in low-and lower-middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Fall-related deaths and acute healthcare utilisation in the last year of life among older adults in Latvia.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Trends and demographic inequalities in mortality of the Lithuanian population during the COVID-19 pandemic: who suffered most?Population health metrics · 2025Article
- Exploring the trend of age-standardized mortality rates from cardiovascular disease in Malaysia: a joinpoint analysis (2010-2021).BMC public health · 2024Article
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- Impact of COVID-19 on risks and deaths of non-communicable diseases in the Western Pacific region.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2024Review
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- Unrecognised COVID-19 deaths in central Europe: The importance of cause-of-death certification for the COVID-19 burden assessment.PloS one · 2024Article
- Estimating subnational excess mortality in times of pandemic. An application to French départements in 2020.PloS one · 2024Article
- Evaluation of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the all-cause, cause-specific mortality, YLL, and life expectancy in the first 2 years in an Iranian population-an ecological study.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- All-cause mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru.IJID regions · 2022Article
- Temporal trends in the burden of non-communicable diseases in countries with the highest malaria burden, 1990-2019: Evaluating the double burden of non-communicable and communicable diseases in epidemiological transition.Globalization and health · 2022Article
- Global Excess Mortality during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Vaccines · 2022Review
- The impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on cause-specific mortality patterns: a systematic literature review.Zeitschrift fur Gesundheitswissenschaften = Journal of public health · 2022Review
- Using an online calculator to describe excess mortality in the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic.Western Pacific surveillance and response journal : WPSARArticle
- Inequities in Health Service Needs Among Older Adults During COVID-19: A Gender-Stratified Analysis Using Longitudinal SHARE Data.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingArticle
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7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAge-standardised noncommunicable disease (NCD) mortality and the proportion of the elderly population in Latvia are high, while public health and health care systems are underresourced. The emerging COVID-19 pandemic raised concerns about its detrimental impact on all-cause and noncommunicable disease mortality in Latvia. We estimated the timing and number of excess all-cause and cause-specific deaths in 2020 in Latvia due to COVID-19 and selected noncommunicable diseases.
methodsA time series analysis of all-cause and cause-specific weekly mortality from COVID-19, circulatory diseases, malignant neoplasms, diabetes mellitus, and chronic lower respiratory diseases from the National Causes of Death Database from 2015 to 2020 was used by applying generalised additive modelling (GAM) and joinpoint regression analysis.
resultsBetween weeks 14 and 52 (from 1 April to 29 December) of 2020, a total of 3111 excess deaths (95% PI 1339 - 4832) were estimated in Latvia, resulting in 163.77 excess deaths per 100 000. Since September 30, with the outbreak of the second COVID-19 wave, 55% of all excess deaths have occurred. Altogether, COVID-19-related deaths accounted for only 28% of the estimated all-cause excess deaths. A significant increase in excess mortality was estimated for circulatory diseases (68.91 excess deaths per 100 000). Ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease were listed as the underlying cause in almost 60% of COVID-19-contributing deaths.
conclusionsAll-cause mortality and mortality from circulatory diseases significantly increased in Latvia during the first pandemic year. All-cause excess mortality substantially exceeded reported COVID-19-related deaths, implying COVID-19-related mortality during was significantly underestimated. Increasing mortality from circulatory diseases suggests a negative cumulative effect of COVID-19 exposure and reduced access to healthcare services for NCD patients.
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