RESUMEN
The aim of this study is to assess the influence of living in nursing homes on COVID-19-related mortality, and to calculate the real specific mortality rate caused by COVID-19 among people older than 20 years of age in the Balaguer Primary Care Centre Health Area during the first wave of the pandemic. We conducted an observational study based on a database generated between March and May 2020, analysing COVID-19-related mortality as a dependent variable, and including different independent variables, such as living in a nursing home or in the community (outside nursing homes), age, sex, symptoms, pre-existing conditions, and hospital admission. To evaluate the associations between the independent variables and mortality, we calculated the absolute and relative frequencies, and performed a chi-square test. To avoid the impact of the age variable on mortality and to assess the influence of the "living in a nursing home" variable, we established comparisons between infected population groups over 69 years of age (in nursing homes and outside nursing homes). Living in a nursing home was associated with a higher incidence of COVID-19 infection, but not with higher mortality in patients over 69 years of age (p = 0.614). The real specific mortality rate caused by COVID-19 was 2.270/00. In the study of the entire sample, all the comorbidities studied were associated with higher mortality; however, the comorbidities were not associated with higher mortality in the infected nursing home patients group, nor in the infected community patients over 69 years of age group (except for neoplasm history in this last group). Finally, hospital admission was not associated with lower mortality in nursing home patients, nor in community patients over 69 years of age.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Immigration has increased remarkably in Spain over the past ten years. For theoretical reasons, the question has been raised as to whether this population may possibly be responsible for a rise in the incidence and/or transmission of infectious diseases. However, very few studies have been conducted regarding the diseases among this group which would afford the possibility of ascertaining the importance of this statement. This study is aimed at quantifying the hospital care provided to this population in the city of Valencia. METHODS: The hospital release records were obtained from the Admissions Departments of the public hospitals in the city of Valencia. A one-year retrospective observational study was conducted throughout the October 1, 2001-September 30, 2002 period. RESULTS: We retrieved 8,444 hospital admissions identifying 1,577 hospital admissions of immigrants. Similar percentages of immigrants recorded with their documentation in proper order (841; 51.16%) and immigrants supposedly undocumented (803; 48.84%) were found. Females (68.3%) were predominant over males (31.7%), and a mean age of under 30 years of age. The most frequent diagnosis on release was "pregnancy, childbirth and post-partum-related complications", totaling 37.7% of all releases, others involving, "injuries and poisoning" (12.9%), "digestive tract diseases" (7.8%) and "respiratory tract diseases" (5.4%), "Infectious and parasitic diseases" totaled 4.4%. CONCLUSIONS: The percentage of infectious and infectious-contagious diseases found did not contribute to encouraging the opinions disseminated regarding the importing or re-emergence of diseases from the immigrant groups. The en masse immigration which has taken place requires many adaptations of the Healthcare System to afford the possibility of setting out the health profile for this group based on population estimates.