Tropical Australian Health-Data Linkage Shows Excess Mortality Following Severe Infectious Disease Is Present in the Short-Term and Long-Term after Hospital Discharge

Abstract

Background: In this study, we aimed to assess the risk factors associated with mortality due to an infectious disease over the short-, medium-, and long-term based on a data-linkage study for patients discharged from an infectious disease unit in North Queensland, Australia, between 2006 and 2011. Methods: Age-sex standardised mortality rates (SMR) for different subgroups were estimated, and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate and compare the survival experience among different groups. Results: Overall, the mortality rate in the hospital cohort was higher than expected in comparison with the Queensland population (SMR: 15.3, 95%CI: 14.9–15.6). The long-term mortality risks were significantly higher for severe infectious diseases than non-infectious diseases for male sex, Indigenous, residential aged care and elderly individuals. Conclusion: In general, male sex, Indigenous status, age and comorbidity were associated with an increased hazard for all-cause deaths.

Excess mortality among people with communicable diseases over a 30-year period, Victoria, Australia: a whole of population cohort study

“…The use of population-wide surveillance datasets linked with vital registration systems enables complete ascertainment of vital status, 21 likely increasing the specificity of estimates than those generated by all-cause methods, and supports concurrent examination of all notifiable conditions of public health importance across a whole population, as distinct from disease-specific or small-site observational studies. 21 , 22 …”