A research team from USR Catalunya Central concludes the first comparative study on the health of the Catalan population before and during covid-19
The study, funded by a PERIS grant, analyzes the clinical indicators of 6,301,095 people in Catalonia, 81% of the total population
A retrospective study based on the population of Catalonia analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical indicators and mortality in patients with chronic diseases. The research includes data from 6,301,095 people (81.6% of the Catalan population), extracted from the Primary Care Information System of the Catalan Institute of Health (ICS) (SIDIAP). The results show an increase in mortality during the pandemic and a decrease in chronic conditions such as heart failure (-26.7%), arterial hypertension (-15.1%), and type 2 diabetes (-14.6%). Clinical indicators, such as blood pressure and cholesterol, worsened, especially in patients with chronic diseases.
The main objective of the research was to compare clinical indicators before and during the pandemic, categorized by the most prevalent chronic diseases and by sex, and to describe the socioeconomic factors that influenced mortality rates during the health crisis. The conclusions are intended to help in planning post-pandemic healthcare in Catalonia. The results were publicly presented at the WONCA Europe 2024 Congress, held in Dublin from September 25 to 28, one of the most important events in the field of family medicine and primary care in Europe, where advancements and innovations in the field are discussed, as well as in Manresa, during the Research Night event
Josep Vidal, family doctor, head of the Research and Innovation Unit of ICS Catalunya Central, and coordinator of the la Unitat de Suport a la Recerca Catalunya Central de l’Institut d’Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol (IDIAPJGol), coordinated the work with the participation of industrial PhD student Manuel Moreno.
Vidal explains that the study concludes that “mortality disproportionately affected the elderly, with the highest impact observed in patients over 85 years old. Additionally, individuals with lower incomes had higher average mortality rates. The impact by sex was also slightly different. While men were more affected by cardiovascular issues during the pandemic, women experienced greater loss of autonomy in performing basic daily life activities.” The study also found that although patients with chronic diseases had worse pre-pandemic indicators, they deteriorated similarly to those without such conditions. “This suggests that the absence of chronic diseases could lead to an underestimation of cardiovascular risk, resulting in poorer control”, adds Vidal.
The research team
In addition to Vidal and Moreno, the research also involved Maria Antònia Barceló Rado, a specialist in Statistics and Econometrics from the University of Girona; Maria Homs Riba, a biologist with a PhD in Biochemistry and a health technician at ICS Catalunya Central; Héctor Pifarré Arolas, an economist specializing in health and demographic research and a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA); Queralt Miró Catalina, a specialist in Statistics and a research technician at ICS Catalunya Central; Marc Saez Zafra, a professor of Statistics and Econometrics at the University of Girona; Anna Berenguera Ossó, a PhD in Public Health and coordinator of the Central Research Unit at IDIAP Jordi Gol; Anna Ruiz Comellas, a family and community medicine specialist and researcher at the Research and Innovation Unit of ICS Catalunya Central; Aïna Fuster Casanovas, a pharmacist, digital health specialist, and research technician at ICS Catalunya Central; Anna Ramírez Morros, a nurse specializing in gender perspective and research technician at ICS Catalunya Central; and Francesc López Seguí, a health economist and PhD in Biomedicine from Pompeu Fabra University and ICS Metropolitana Nord.
