In-Hospital Mortality Disparities Among American Indian and Alaska Native, Black, and White Patients With COVID-19.

Importance: American Indian and Alaska Native populations have some of the highest COVID-19 hospitalization and mortality rates in the US, with those in Mississippi being disparately affected. Higher COVID-19 mortality rates among Indigenous populations are often attributed to a higher comorbidity burden, although examinations of these associations are scarce, and none were believed to have included individuals hospitalized in Mississippi. Objective: To evaluate whether racial mortality differences among adults hospitalized with COVID-19 are associated with differential comorbidity experiences. Design, Setting, and Participants: The described cross-sectional study used retrospective hospital discharge data from the Mississippi Inpatient Outpatient Data System. All adult (aged ≥18 years) Mississippians of a known racial identity and who had been hospitalized with COVID-19 from March 1 to December 31, 2020, in any of the state's 103 nonfederal hospitals were included. Data were abstracted on June 17, 2021. Exposure: Racial identity. Main Outcomes and Measures: In-hospital mortality as indicated by discharge status. Results: A total of 18 731 adults hospitalized with a COVID-19 diagnosis and known racial identity were included (median age, 66 [IQR, 53-76] years; 10 109 [54.0%] female; 225 [1.2%] American Indian and Alaska Native; 9191 [49.1%] Black; and 9121 [48.7%] White). Pooling across comorbidity risk groups, odds of in-hospital mortality among Black patients were 75% lower than among American Indian and Alaska Native patients (odds ratio [OR], 0.25 [95% CI, 0.18-0.34]); odds of in-hospital death among White patients were 77% lower (OR, 0.23 [95% CI, 0.16-0.31]). Within comorbidity risk group analyses, Indigenous patients with the lowest risk (Elixhauser Comorbidity Index score ≤0) had an adjusted probability of in-hospital death of 0.10 compared with 0.03 for Black patients (OR, 0.29 [95% CI, 0.10-0.82]) and 0.04 for White patients (OR, 0.37 [95% CI, 0.13-1.07]). Probability of in-hospital death at the highest comorbidity risk levels (Elixhauser Comorbidity Index score ≥16) was 0.69 for American Indian and Alaska Native patients compared with 0.28 for Black patients (OR, 0.16 [95% CI, 0.08-0.32]) and 0.25 for White patients (OR, 0.14 [95% CI, 0.07-0.27]). Conclusions and Relevance: This cross-sectional study of US adults hospitalized with COVID-19 found that American Indian and Alaska Native patients had lower comorbidity risk scores than those observed among Black or White patients. Despite empirical associations between reduced comorbidity risk scores and reduced odds of inpatient mortality, American Indian and Alaska Native patients were significantly more likely to die in the hospital of COVID-19 than Black or White patients at every level of comorbidity risk. Alternative factors that may contribute to high mortality rates among Indigenous populations must be investigated.

Decreasing prevalence of no known major risk factors for cardiovascular disease among Mississippi adults, Mississippi Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2001 and 2009.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in Mississippi. However, the prevalence of no known CVD risk factors among Mississippi adults and the change of prevalence in the past 9 years have not been described. We assess changes in prevalence of no known CVD risk factors during 2001 and 2009. METHODS: Prevalence of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, physical inactivity, smoking, and obesity were investigated. Survey respondents who reported having none of these factors were defined as having no known CVD risk factors. Differences in prevalence and 95% confidence intervals were determined using t-test analysis. RESULTS: Overall, age-standardized prevalence of having no known CVD risk factors significantly decreased from 17.3% in 2001 to 14.5% in 2009 (p = 0.0091). The age-standardized prevalence of no known CVD risk factors were significantly lower in 2009 than in 2001 among blacks (8.9% vs. 13.2%, p = 0.008); males (13.5% vs. 17.9%, p = 0.0073); individuals with a college degree (25.2%, vs. 30.8%, p = 0.0483); and those with an annual household income of $20,000-$34,999 (11.6% vs. 16.9%, p = 0.0147); and $35,000-$49,999 (15.2% vs. 23.3%, p = 0.0135). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of no known CVD risk factors among Mississippi adults significantly decreased from 2001 to 2009 with observed differences by race, age group, sex, and annual household income.

Trends in Heart Disease Mortality among Mississippi Adults over Three Decades, 1980-2013.

Heart disease (HD) remains the leading cause of death among Mississippians; however, despite the importance of the condition, trends in HD mortality in Mississippi have not been adequately explored. This study examined trends in HD mortality among adults in Mississippi from 1980 through 2013 and further examined these trends by race and sex. We used data from Mississippi Vital Statistics (1980-2013) to calculate age-adjusted HD mortality rates for Mississippians age 25 or older. Cases were identified using underlying cause of death codes from the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9: 390-398, 402, 404-429) and Tenth Revision (ICD-10), including I00-I09, I11, I13, and I20-I51. Joinpoint software was used to calculate the average annual percent change in HD mortality rates for the overall population and by race and sex. Overall, the age-adjusted HD mortality rate among Mississippi adults decreased by 36.5% between 1980 and 2013, with an average annual percent change of -1.60% (95% CI -2.00 to -1.30). This trend varied across subgroups: HD mortality rates experienced an average annual change of -1.34% (95% CI -1.98 to -0.69) for black adults; -1.60% (95% CI -1.74 to -1.46) for white adults; -1.30% (95% CI -1.50 to -1.10) for all women, and -1.90% (95% -2.20 to -1.50) for all men. From 1980 to 2013, there was a continuous decrease in HD mortality among adult Mississippians. However, the magnitude of this reduction differed by race and sex.