Cardiac conditions the most common pre-existing illness in COVID-19 deaths
Cardiac conditions are the most common pre-existing chronic conditions in Australians who die from COVID-19 disease, new figures show.
Death certificate data for 1189 COVID-19 fatalities released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that chronic cardiac conditions including coronary atherosclerosis, cardiomyopathies and atrial fibrillation were the most commonly certified comorbidities, present in 36.5% of deaths.
Other pre-existing conditions included dementia (31.8% of deaths), diabetes (20.9%), chronic respiratory conditions (17.2%), hypertension (14.8%) and cancer (12.6%).
Acute diseases thought to have a causal link to death in COVID-19 patients included cardiac complication in 7.2% of deaths, whereas the most common ones were pneumonia (68.9%) and respiratory failure (11.7%).
AF screening again rejected by USPSTF
An updated evaluation of screening for atrial fibrillation by the US Preventive Services Task Force has reaffirmed previous advice that there is inadequate evidence to assess whether screening asymptomatic adults over the age of 50 has any benefit in preventing strokes.
In its 2022 recommendations released on 25 January the USPSTF said the latest evaluation went beyond previous 2018 advice covering ECG screening, to consider latest trials of other screening methods such as automated blood pressure cuffs, pulse oximeters, and consumer devices such as smartwatches and smartphone apps.
However, even with this expanded scope, the USPSTF did not find enough evidence to recommend for or against screening for AF.