Influenza and Pneumonia Mortality in 66 Large US Cities during the 1918 Pandemic
Author Information
Author(s): Rodolfo Acuna-Soto, Cécile Viboud, Gerardo Chowell
Primary Institution: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Hypothesis
The study examines the relationship between pneumonia and influenza death rates before and during the 1918 pandemic and how these rates scale with city size.
Conclusion
The study found that pre-pandemic pneumonia death rates were strongly associated with influenza mortality rates during the pandemic, particularly in smaller cities.
Supporting Evidence
- The mean pre-pandemic pneumonia death rates were highly associated with pneumonia death rates during the pandemic period.
- Pneumonia mortality rates partially explained influenza mortality rates in 1918.
- Smaller cities experienced worse outcomes during the pandemic compared to larger cities.
Takeaway
The study looked at how many people died from pneumonia and influenza in big cities during the 1918 pandemic and found that cities with more pneumonia deaths before the pandemic had more deaths during it.
Methodology
The study analyzed historical death rates from pneumonia and influenza in 66 large US cities from 1910 to 1920, comparing pre-pandemic and pandemic periods.
Potential Biases
Potential sources of bias include variations in mortality reporting practices and the use of crude proxies for influenza-related burden.
Limitations
The study's data may be biased due to differential mortality reporting and lack of access to data for smaller cities and rural areas.
Participant Demographics
The study focused on 66 large US cities with populations over 100,000 in 1920.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Confidence Interval
95%CI: 0.71, 0.91
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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