Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on incidence of coronary heart disease in Bavaria, Germany: an analysis of health claims data.

Background: Inconsistent findings about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiovascular disease diagnosis and consultations have been reported internationally. The objective of this study was to analyse the impact of the pandemic period (2020-2021) on the incidence rate of coronary heart disease (CHD) compared with the pre-pandemic period (2012-2019) in Bavaria, Germany.

Methods: We used health claims data of around 9 million statutorily insured residents (≥20 years) of Bavaria, Germany.