Social Vulnerability and Long‐Term Cardiovascular Outcomes After COVID‐19 Hospitalization: An Analysis of the American Heart Association COVID‐19 Registry Linked With Medicare Claims Data

Background Patients hospitalized with COVID‐19 from socioeconomically vulnerable communities are at risk for in‐hospital cardiovascular events. However, the association of socioeconomic vulnerability and outcomes after hospitalization is uncertain. Methods and Results American Heart Association COVI...

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Main Authors: Reza Fakhraei, Yang Song, Dhruv S. Kazi, Rishi K. Wadhera, James A. de Lemos, Sandeep R. Das, David A. Morrow, Issa J. Dahabreh, Christine M. Rutan, Kathie Thomas, Robert W. Yeh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-04-01
Series:Journal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease
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Online Access:https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.124.038073
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author Reza Fakhraei
Yang Song
Dhruv S. Kazi
Rishi K. Wadhera
James A. de Lemos
Sandeep R. Das
David A. Morrow
Issa J. Dahabreh
Christine M. Rutan
Kathie Thomas
Robert W. Yeh
author_facet Reza Fakhraei
Yang Song
Dhruv S. Kazi
Rishi K. Wadhera
James A. de Lemos
Sandeep R. Das
David A. Morrow
Issa J. Dahabreh
Christine M. Rutan
Kathie Thomas
Robert W. Yeh
author_sort Reza Fakhraei
collection DOAJ
description Background Patients hospitalized with COVID‐19 from socioeconomically vulnerable communities are at risk for in‐hospital cardiovascular events. However, the association of socioeconomic vulnerability and outcomes after hospitalization is uncertain. Methods and Results American Heart Association COVID‐19 Cardiovascular Disease Registry hospitalizations between March 1, 2020, and June 30, 2022, linked with Medicare fee‐for‐service claims, were analyzed. We used Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Social Vulnerability Index to ascertain county‐level and Medicare‐Medicaid dual eligibility to ascertain patient‐level social vulnerability. We evaluated the association between social vulnerability and a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, venous thromboembolism, cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest, and death, following discharge, using Cox regression models. The study included 8565 patients (mean age 78 years, 50% female, 16% Black, 4% Hispanic, 25% dual eligible, 34% residing in the most vulnerable counties). Patients residing in the most vulnerable counties, and dual eligible patients, were more likely to be female, Black or Hispanic, and have increased comorbidities. A total of 3783 (52%) patients experienced a composite outcome. We found no association between the most vulnerable, compared with least vulnerable, counties and cardiovascular events (hazard ratio [HR], 0.97 [95% CI, 0.87–1.07]). Dual eligibility, compared with nondual eligibility, was associated with increased cardiovascular events (HR, 1.28 [95% CI, 1.19–1.37]), which was attenuated after adjusting for comorbidities (HR, 0.97 [95% CI, 0.89–1.04]). Conclusions Among survivors of COVID‐19 hospitalization, patient‐level social vulnerability was associated with cardiovascular events, explained by increased comorbidities. County‐level social vulnerability was not observed to be a risk for postdischarge events. Findings suggest targeting public health efforts toward dual eligible patients to mitigate poor outcomes.
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spelling doaj-art-07cafe8378584900958a75a102ef71302025-08-20T03:07:46ZengWileyJournal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease2047-99802025-04-0114710.1161/JAHA.124.038073Social Vulnerability and Long‐Term Cardiovascular Outcomes After COVID‐19 Hospitalization: An Analysis of the American Heart Association COVID‐19 Registry Linked With Medicare Claims DataReza Fakhraei0Yang Song1Dhruv S. Kazi2Rishi K. Wadhera3James A. de Lemos4Sandeep R. Das5David A. Morrow6Issa J. Dahabreh7Christine M. Rutan8Kathie Thomas9Robert W. Yeh10Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes Research Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School Boston MA USARichard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes Research Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School Boston MA USARichard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes Research Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School Boston MA USARichard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes Research Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School Boston MA USADepartment of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas TX USADepartment of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas TX USACardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine Brigham and Women’s Hospital Boston MA USADepartment of Biostatistics Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health Boston MA USAAmerican Heart Association Dallas TX USAAmerican Heart Association Dallas TX USARichard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes Research Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School Boston MA USABackground Patients hospitalized with COVID‐19 from socioeconomically vulnerable communities are at risk for in‐hospital cardiovascular events. However, the association of socioeconomic vulnerability and outcomes after hospitalization is uncertain. Methods and Results American Heart Association COVID‐19 Cardiovascular Disease Registry hospitalizations between March 1, 2020, and June 30, 2022, linked with Medicare fee‐for‐service claims, were analyzed. We used Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Social Vulnerability Index to ascertain county‐level and Medicare‐Medicaid dual eligibility to ascertain patient‐level social vulnerability. We evaluated the association between social vulnerability and a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, venous thromboembolism, cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest, and death, following discharge, using Cox regression models. The study included 8565 patients (mean age 78 years, 50% female, 16% Black, 4% Hispanic, 25% dual eligible, 34% residing in the most vulnerable counties). Patients residing in the most vulnerable counties, and dual eligible patients, were more likely to be female, Black or Hispanic, and have increased comorbidities. A total of 3783 (52%) patients experienced a composite outcome. We found no association between the most vulnerable, compared with least vulnerable, counties and cardiovascular events (hazard ratio [HR], 0.97 [95% CI, 0.87–1.07]). Dual eligibility, compared with nondual eligibility, was associated with increased cardiovascular events (HR, 1.28 [95% CI, 1.19–1.37]), which was attenuated after adjusting for comorbidities (HR, 0.97 [95% CI, 0.89–1.04]). Conclusions Among survivors of COVID‐19 hospitalization, patient‐level social vulnerability was associated with cardiovascular events, explained by increased comorbidities. County‐level social vulnerability was not observed to be a risk for postdischarge events. Findings suggest targeting public health efforts toward dual eligible patients to mitigate poor outcomes.https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.124.038073cardiovascular outcomesCOVID‐19Medicaresocial vulnerability
spellingShingle Reza Fakhraei
Yang Song
Dhruv S. Kazi
Rishi K. Wadhera
James A. de Lemos
Sandeep R. Das
David A. Morrow
Issa J. Dahabreh
Christine M. Rutan
Kathie Thomas
Robert W. Yeh
Social Vulnerability and Long‐Term Cardiovascular Outcomes After COVID‐19 Hospitalization: An Analysis of the American Heart Association COVID‐19 Registry Linked With Medicare Claims Data
Journal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease
cardiovascular outcomes
COVID‐19
Medicare
social vulnerability
title Social Vulnerability and Long‐Term Cardiovascular Outcomes After COVID‐19 Hospitalization: An Analysis of the American Heart Association COVID‐19 Registry Linked With Medicare Claims Data
title_full Social Vulnerability and Long‐Term Cardiovascular Outcomes After COVID‐19 Hospitalization: An Analysis of the American Heart Association COVID‐19 Registry Linked With Medicare Claims Data
title_fullStr Social Vulnerability and Long‐Term Cardiovascular Outcomes After COVID‐19 Hospitalization: An Analysis of the American Heart Association COVID‐19 Registry Linked With Medicare Claims Data
title_full_unstemmed Social Vulnerability and Long‐Term Cardiovascular Outcomes After COVID‐19 Hospitalization: An Analysis of the American Heart Association COVID‐19 Registry Linked With Medicare Claims Data
title_short Social Vulnerability and Long‐Term Cardiovascular Outcomes After COVID‐19 Hospitalization: An Analysis of the American Heart Association COVID‐19 Registry Linked With Medicare Claims Data
title_sort social vulnerability and long term cardiovascular outcomes after covid 19 hospitalization an analysis of the american heart association covid 19 registry linked with medicare claims data
topic cardiovascular outcomes
COVID‐19
Medicare
social vulnerability
url https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.124.038073
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