Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40442886›Full record

ArticleJournal of evidence-based medicine2025

The Indirect Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Mortality, Complications, and Healthcare Utilization Among Patients With Chronic Respiratory Diseases in Hong Kong: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis.

Qi Kang, Yuk Kam Yau, Zhuoran Hu, Jianchao Quan, David Chi Leung Lam, Ivy Lynn Mak, Ian Chi Kei Wong, David Vai Kiong Chao, Welchie Wai Kit Ko, Chak Sing Lau and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of evidence-based medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

12 authors.

Qi KangDepartment of Family Medicine and Primary Care, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Yuk Kam YauDepartment of Family Medicine and Primary Care, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2865-5992
Zhuoran HuDepartment of Family Medicine and Primary Care, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Jianchao QuanDivision of Health Economics, Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8386-8512
David Chi Leung LamDepartment of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Ivy Lynn MakDepartment of Family Medicine and Primary Care, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Ian Chi Kei WongDepartment of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
David Vai Kiong ChaoDepartment of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, United Christian Hospital, Kowloon East Cluster, Hospital Authority, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
Welchie Wai Kit KoDepartment of Family Medicine and Primary Healthcare, Hong Kong West Cluster, Hospital Authority, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, China.
Chak Sing LauDepartment of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Cindy Lo Kuen LamDepartment of Family Medicine and Primary Care, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Eric Yuk Fai WanDepartment of Family Medicine and Primary Care, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6275-1147

Funding

Commissioned Research on the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) COVID19F08Health and Medical Research Fund
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis study aimed to investigate COVID-19's indirect influence on chronic respiratory disease (CRD) patients for two years since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

methodsUsing population-based data in Hong Kong, we included CRD patients diagnosed from January 2011 to December 2021. Interrupted Time Series Analysis were applied to assess mortality, complications, and healthcare utilization rates during the "pre-COVID-19 pandemic" (January 2012-January 2020), "initial COVID-19 pandemic" (February 2020-February 2021), and "post-initial COVID-19 pandemic" (March 2021-December 2021) periods.

resultsAmong 587,049 patients with CRD, all-cause mortality had an increasing trend during the post-initial COVID-19 pandemic period (incidence rate ratio (95% CI): 1.019 (1.005, 1.034); p = 0.007), compared with pre-COVID-19 pandemic period. Nonrespiratory mortality had an increasing trend in the initial COVID-19 pandemic period (1.020 (1.006, 1.033); p = 0.004) and was higher than the pre-pandemic level in the post-initial COVID-19 pandemic. We observed abrupt declines in the incidence rates of asthma exacerbation, acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, and acute respiratory failure in the first month of initial COVID-19 pandemic period, remaining below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels throughout the initial pandemic period.

conclusionThe disruption of usual healthcare impacts mortality rates among patients with CRD without COVID-19, particularly nonrespiratory mortality. Contingency plans on continuing follow-up and monitoring of CRD patients are needed, for example, teleconsultations, shared primary care, and tele-reminders on red-flag symptoms for patients with CRD, when healthcare services may be disrupted during public health crises.

Indexed as

COVID-19Patient Acceptance of Health CareRespiratory Tract DiseasesAdultAgedChronic DiseaseFemaleHong KongHumansInterrupted Time Series AnalysisMaleMiddle AgedPandemicsPulmonary Disease, Chronic ObstructiveSARS-CoV-2chronic respiratory diseaseCOVID‐19healthcare systemmortality

Identifiers

PMID40442886
PMCPMC12122904

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.