All-cause mortality due to conduction abnormalities in the United States: Sex, racial, and geographic variations from 1999 to 2022

Background: Mortality related to conduction abnormalities in the United States (US) population is not well documented. Population-based stratification approaches can improve public health policies and targeted strategies.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate all-cause mortality related to conduction abnormalities in the US population METHODS: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research database was used to calculate the age-adjusted mortality rate (AAMR) per 100,000 individuals older than 35 years related to conduction abnormalities between 1999 and 2022.

Results: A total of 207,861 deaths were attributed to conduction abnormalities throughout the study period ,with 56,186 of these deaths occurring between 2020 and 2022. All-cause mortality related to conduction abnormalities has increased during the past decade with an exponential growth in 2020-2021 (coronavirus disease 2019 era; annual percent change of 16.6% per year). Although the mortality rates decreased in 2022, they remained elevated compared to 2019-2020. Throughout the past 2 decades, males consistently exhibited higher mortality rates than females, with the rate in 2022 being 1.5 times higher (AAMR 11.4 vs 7.0 per 100,000). Non-Hispanic Black patients experienced a significantly higher mortality rate compared to non-Hispanic White individuals in the study period (AAMR 13.7 vs 8.6 per 100,000 in 2022). In the past 2 decades, mortality has been persistently higher in rural and small- to medium-sized metropolitan areas than in large metropolitan urban areas.

Conclusion: Mortality rates related to conduction abnormalities have increased over the past decade, and persistent disparities have been observed. These data suggest that continued innovative outreach approaches and engagement with underrepresented populations remain essential.