The impact of COVID-19 on deaths from dementia and Alzheimer's disease in Chile: an analysis of panel data for 16 regions, 2017–2022

Abstract

Background Although several studies have documented the detrimental impacts of global COVID-19 containment measures on individuals with Alzheimer ' s disease and dementia, a comprehensive analysis of mortality rates for these conditions within the Chilean population is notably lacking. This study aimed to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on mortality rates among individuals with dementia and Alzheimer ' s disease in Chile. Methods A retrospective longitudinal cross-sectional study was conducted, considering mortality data for speci fi c mental health conditions during the pre -pandemic and pandemic contexts of COVID-19 in Chile. Quantile regression techniques were employed to analyze the existence of differences between the two periods, while nonobservable heterogeneity models for panel data methods were used to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 mortality on crude mortality rates. Findings Statistically signi fi cant differences were observed in the number of deaths from dementia and Alzheimer ' s disease between the pre -pandemic and COVID-19 pandemic periods. Speci fi cally, crude mortality rates decreased by 10% ( - 0.10 [95% CI: - 0.16, - 0.05]) during the pandemic period. Furthermore, the number of deaths from COVID-19 during the pandemic period has a very weak incidence of deaths from mental health conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer ' s. Speci fi cally, a unit percentage increase in con fi rmed cases from COVID-19 would result in a 7% ( - 0.07 [95% CI: - 0.13, - 0.001]) decrease in the number of deaths from dementia and Alzheimer ' s. These fi ndings are supported by the application of panel regression with one-way random effects models. Interpretation The study fi ndings indicate a reduction in mortality rates attributed to dementia and Alzheimer ' s disease during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile. This decline could be attributed to the potential underreporting of mental illness as the cause of death during the pandemic period. Several studies have highlighted that approximately 30% of death certi fi cates fail to document the presence of a dementia syndrome. Moreover, the cause of death recorded for individuals with mental health conditions may be in fl uenced by the physician ' s familiarity with the patient or re fl ect the prevailing approach to managing end -stage dementia patients.