Senility-Related Mortality in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

CONTEXT: Senility has been shown to negatively impact health outcomes. While national stressors have altered death trajectories for numerous diseases, little is known about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on senility-related outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on senility-related mortality in the United States. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This is a retrospective analysis of US decedents with documented senility-related death using the CDC WONDER database. We estimated annual trends in senility-related age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) from 1999 to 2020 using log-linear regression models. Calculation of excess deaths attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic was completed by comparison of actual 2020 mortality rates and estimated 2020 mortality using average annual percentage changes. RESULTS: A total of 510 819 senility-related deaths were identified. AAMR declined by 9.76%, from 7.48 in 1999 to 6.75 deaths per 100 000 in 2020. Year 2020 showed a marked increase in mortality, with 1.13 excess deaths per 100 000 population attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to an additional burden of mortality across both sexes, resulting in an estimated 1.18 and 0.99 per 100 000 excess deaths among females and males, respectively. The excess death rates per 100 000 for Black, White, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native populations were 1.84, 1.05, 0.99, and 1.16, respectively. The impact on US census regions was reflected in excess death rates, with the Northeastern, Midwestern, Southern, and Western regions seeing 1.27, 1.27, 1.39, and 0.31 excess deaths per 100 000, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the pandemic had an association with excess senility-related mortality. Further investigation is warranted to identify factors that impact senility-related outcomes.