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Background The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 affected urban areas. In Barcelona, six waves of COVID-19 hit the city between March 2020 and March 2022. Inequalities in the incidence of COVID-19 have been described. However, no studies have examined the daily trends of socioeconomic inequalities and how they changed during the different phases of the pandemic. The aim of this study is to analyse the dynamic socioeconomic inequalities in the incidence of COVID-19 during the six waves in Barcelona. Methods We examined the proportion of daily cases observed in the census tracts in the lower income tercile compared with the proportion of daily cases observed in the sum of the lower and higher income terciles. Daily differences in these proportions were assessed as a function of the epidemic waves, sex, age group, daily incidence and daily change in the incidence. A logistic regression model with an autoregressive term was used for statistical analysis. Results A time-dynamic effect was found for socioeconomic inequalities in the incidence of COVID-19. In fact, belonging to a lower-income area changed from being a risk factor (Waves 1, 2, 4 and 5) to being a protective factor in the sixth wave of the pandemic. Age also had a significant effect on incidence, which also changed over the different waves of the pandemic. Finally, the lower-income areas showed a comparatively lower incidence during the ascending phase of the epidemic waves. Conclusion Socioeconomic inequalities in COVID-19 changed by wave, age group and wave phase.

Durante la pandemia producida por la infección por el Covid-19 se produjeron una serie de cambios sociosanitarios excepcionales para evitar su propagación como el confinamiento en el hogar y la supresión de los servicios asistenciales sanitarios habituales. Se consideró que estos cambios podrían implicar un incremento en el consumo de alcohol y un mayor riesgo de recaídas para los pacientes en tratamiento. El objetivo de este estudio fue valorar los cambios en el consumo durante el período de confinamiento (marzo a mayo de 2020) en los pacientes en tratamiento en el programa de alcohol del Hospital Doce de Octubre de Madrid. Fueron valorados 311 pacientes mediante entrevista telefónica dentro de la práctica clínica habitual durante ese período. Un 76 % de los pacientes no presentaron cambios en su situación de consumo, un 9,2% de estos cesaron en el consumo, algunos de ellos con cuadros de abstinencia graves, y un 7,5% recayeron. El sexo femenino, el consumo en solitario o en el hogar, en atracón, o el de otras drogas de forma concomitante y el no estar en terapia grupal o no asistir a grupos de las asociaciones de ayuda mutua por videoconferencia durante el confinamiento fueron factores predictores de mal pronóstico. Un 31,6% presentó alteraciones psicopatológicas debidas al confinamiento, sobre todo, aquellos pacientes con comorbilidad psiquiátrica. Por lo tanto, en situaciones similares a esta, la mayoría de los pacientes en tratamiento no modifican el patrón de consumo, pero, ciertas características identifican un subgrupo de sujetos más vulnerables.Palabras clave: Trastorno por uso de alcohol; confinamiento; Covid-19; terapia grupal; psicopatología por confinamiento; comorbilidad psiquiátrica.During the COVID-19 pandemic, several exceptional measures were put in place in order to avoid virus propagation, such as lockdown and the discontinuation of usual health care assistance services. It was considered that these changes might be associated with an increase in alcohol consumption and a higher risk of relapse for patients under treatment. The aim of this study was to assess changes in alcohol consumption during the lockdown period (between March and May, 2020) in patients following treatment under the Alcohol Use Disorders Programme at the "Hospital 12 de Octubre" in Madrid. A total of 311 patients were assessed through interviews carried out by telephone in accordance with usual clinical practice during that period. 76% of the total number of patients did not experience changes in their alcohol consumption, 9.2% stopped drinking and some experienced severe withdrawal syndrome, while 7.5% relapsed. The risk factors found for worsening the prognosis of the patients were: being female, drinking alcohol alone or at home, binge drinking, concomitant substance misuse and failure to attend therapy groups or self-help groups online during the lockdown. 31.6% of the sample described psychopathological symptoms due to the lockdown, especially those who already had psychiatric comorbidities. For this reason, we can co...