According to a study published in the journal Circulation, cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related fatalities increased in the US during the first year of the COVID-19 epidemic, going from 874,613 in 2019 to 928,741 in 2020. As per the data, the increase in CVD fatalities in 2020 was the biggest one-year increase since 2015 and surpassed the previous peak of 910,000 deaths recorded in 2003.

The study′s lead author revealed that Asian, Black, and Hispanic groups experienced the greatest increases in mortality. She further added that although the overall number of CVD-related fatalities rose from 2019 to 2020, the age-adjusted mortality rate increased by a pretty significant 4.6%.

Dr. Tsao, also an attending staff cardiologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, added that since the epidemic began, there has been a marked rise in fatalities from all sources. Even though it is disappointing, it is not a shock that this most likely increased cardiovascular mortality overall.

Dr. Albert, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, said that many individuals, particularly in the early phases of the pandemic, were reluctant to seek medical assistance when they experienced heart disease and stroke symptoms that were new or already existing. He also mentioned that cardiovascular disease is the biggest cause of mortality globally, taking the lives of more than 19 million people each year. 

(Source: https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1043784 )