Retrospective Study of Epidemiological Profiles of Cardiorespiratory Pathologies Before and After the Covid-19 Era at Kenitra Provincial Hospital, Morocco

Abstract

Background: The present study aims to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the epidemiological profile of circulatory, respiratory, and haematological pathologies at the provincial Hospital of Kenitra, Morocco, utilizing a before-and-after comparative approach.

Methods: This work consists of a retrospective investigation involving 13,067 cases (excluding cases related to COVID-19) admitted to the provincial hospital of Kenitra between January 1, 2017, and April 30, 2022.

Results: The findings revealed a substantial reduction in the overall number of consultations, decreasing from 11,956 consultations before the emergence of COVID-19 to 1,111 consultations afterwards, indicating a 90% decline. Furthermore, there was a notable shift in the gender distribution for respiratory diseases, transitioning from a male predominance with a sex ratio of 2.03 before the COVID-19 pandemic to a female predominance with a sex ratio of 0.83 post-pandemic. Regarding age group distribution, no significant difference was observed between before and after Covid-19. A comparison of the duration of hospital stays before and after Covid-19 pandemic revealed a notable decrease in respiratory (t = 4.96; p< 0.001) and haematological (t = 3.62; p< 0.001) pathologies, with no significant difference for circulatory pathologies. Before COVID-19, patients with circulatory pathologies had a twofold higher risk of mortality compared to other patients, whereas respiratory patients faced a three times higher risk of death. No significant risk of death was associated with haematological pathologies. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the mortality risk increased for respiratory pathologies but decreased for circulatory pathologies. The risk of mortality for haematological pathologies remained insignificant.

Conclusion: the COVID-19 pandemic substantially impacted the epidemiological profile of circulatory, respiratory, and haematological pathologies.