The number of deaths recorded in England and Wales due to cardiac arrhythmias was higher than usual for much of the first half of 2022, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Deaths in this category had the second highest excess mortality rates in March and April, up from eighth in February and fourth in January. Excess deaths or excess deaths are the number of deaths that are above the long-term average for a particular week or month of the year. There were 234 excess deaths due to irregular heartbeat recorded in March and 138 in April. In both months this was the second highest number of excess deaths by cause, behind only those due to “unsuitable conditions” – a definition often used to cover symptoms such as old age and frailty. The overall number of deaths due to irregular heartbeat was 37.1% above average in March and 23.1% in April – sharp jumps from 13.7% in January and 9.2% in February. Rates remained high in May and June (39.0% and 17.9%), but the number of excess deaths for this category ranked lower, in fifth and eighth place respectively. Other major causes contributing to excess deaths this year are ischemic heart disease, diabetes and dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. A total of 3,848 excess deaths were recorded in England and Wales in the first half of 2022. Sarah Caul, head of mortality analysis at the ONS, said the figure was “driven by a higher-than-expected number of deaths since March, which could be caused by a combination of factors. “In March, April and May we saw increases in deaths due to cardiac arrhythmias, mainly in people aged 80 and over. “Further work needs to be done to understand any link between the long-term effects of Covid and the increase in cardiac deaths.” Read more health news: Precocious owl or owl? It is also possible that there has been some ‘mortality drift’, with the number of deaths being higher than average now due to below average deaths earlier in the year. “Excess deaths fluctuate over time and looking at individual months in 2022, the number of deaths was below expected levels in January and February,” he added. Total deaths recorded in England and Wales were 10.3% below average in January and 7.3% below average in February, but were above average every month from March to June. May and June showed a particularly high level of excess mortality, with deaths 15.4% and 8.6% above average respectively. Covid-19 is only partially responsible for extra deaths in recent months, the ONS said. Of the 6,473 excess deaths in May, more than three-quarters (4,897 or 76%) were not due to the coronavirus. The figure was even higher in June, with 82% not due to Covid-19 (2,900 out of 3,516).
