Geospatial analysis of cardiovascular mortality before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru: analysis of the national death registry to support emergency management in Peru

• Published in: Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine 2024-06, Vol.11, p.1316192
• Main Authors: Moya-Salazar, Jeel, Marín, Eileen A, Palomino-Leyva, Camila B, Rivera, Jhonny, Torre, Rosario La, Cañari, Betsy, Pardo-Villarroel, Claudio, Contreras-Pulache, Hans
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: analytical and synthetic maps; cardiovascular diseases; Cardiovascular Medicine; COVID-19; heart failure; myocardial infarction; spatial analysis
• ISSN: 2297-055X; 2297-055X
• DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2024.1316192

COVID-19 has led to significant global mortality, with Peru being among the countries most affected. While pre-existing comorbidities have been linked to most cases, the exact distribution of fatalities within the country remains unclear. We aimed to assess deaths attributed to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic across various regions and provinces in Peru. An observational georeferencing study was designed. Peru faced four waves of COVID-19 over three years, with variable impacts across its three regions (Coast, Highlands, and Jungle). Deaths related to cardiovascular diseases, such as heart failure (HF), arrhythmia, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), strokes, and acute coronary syndrome, were examined as primary variables. The study period spanned pre-pandemic years (2017-2019) and pandemic years (2020-2021), utilizing death data from the National Death Information System (SINADEF). The georeferencing analysis was conducted using ArcGIS v10.3. A total of 28,197 deaths were recorded during the study period, with significant increases during the pandemic (2020-2021). Cardiovascular deaths were disproportionately higher during the pandemic, totaling 19,376 compared to 8,821 in the pre-pandemic period (