Greater Excess Mortality in 2020 for People With Dementia

Arecent study found that older adults with Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) had a greater risk of dying during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic than those without dementia, even in areas where community infection was low. The authors attributed the higher excess mortality among patients with ADRD to sudden changes in health care delivery, lockdowns, and social isolation, in addition to COVID-19 itself.

In their evaluation of 2020 data from more than 53.6 million Medicare enrollees aged 65 years or older, mortality was 12.4% higher among individuals without ADRD but 25.7% higher among those with ADRD compared with 2019 death rates. The disparities were also greater for Asian, Black, and Hispanic populations with ADRD and people with ADRD living in nursing homes. Mortality was 24.2% higher for nursing home residents without ADRD but 33.4% higher for those with ADRD.

In the areas with the lowest COVID-19 cases in 2020, the researchers did not observe excess mortality among community-dwelling individuals without ADRD. But for people with dementia in these same areas, mortality was 8.8% higher in the community and 14.2% higher in nursing homes. The study appeared in JAMA Neurology.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2791708?guestAccessKey=bcb80610-bcbf-4021-a44d-cb66fbb5930f&utm_source=fbpage&utm_medium=social_jama&utm_term=6910484183&utm_campaign=article_alert&linkId=163475730&fbclid=IwAR15cBSLPXtwV92_vzMSBqsBMbrS_H0aPOZ_KlMwoMrdIkD4s2A0o8PHVe4

Créditos: Comité científico Covid