Hospitalizations for Cardiovascular Diseases During the Early Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan

Background: Although reductions in hospitalizations for myocardial infarction and heart failure have been reported during the period of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, it is unclear how the overall number of hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease (CVD) treatment changed in the early stages of the pandemic. Methods and Results: We analyzed the records of 574 certified hospitals affiliated with the Japanese Circulation Society and retrieved data from April 2015 to March 2020. Records were obtained from the nationwide Japanese Registry of All Cardiac and Vascular Diseases–Diagnosis Procedure Combination database. A quasi-Poisson regression model was used to estimate the number of hospitalizations for CVD treatment. Between January and March 2020, when the number of COVID-19 cases was relatively low in Japan, the actual/estimated number of hospitalizations for acute CVD was 18,233/21,634 (84.3%), whereas the actual/estimated number of scheduled hospitalizations was 16,921/19,066 (88.7%). The number of hospitalizations for acute heart failure and scheduled hospitalizations for valvular disease and aortic aneurysm were 81.1%, 84.6%, and 83.8% of the estimated values, respectively. A subanalysis that considered only facilities without hospitalization restrictions did not alter the results for these diseases. Conclusions: The spread of COVID-19 was associated with a decreased number of hospitalizations for CVD in Japan, even in the early stages of the pandemic.