AUTHOR=Hauser Anthony , Wagner Moritz , Fesser Anna , Abawi Karim , Laube Anne , Konstantinoudis Garyfallos , Riou Julien 
  
TITLE=COVID-19 disrupted patterns of cause-specific mortality in Switzerland
  
JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health
  
VOLUME=Volume 71 - 2026
  
YEAR=2026
  
URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2026.1609856
  
DOI=10.3389/ijph.2026.1609856
  
ISSN=1661-8564
  
ABSTRACT=ObjectivesTo understand disruptions in mortality patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic beyond deaths directly attributed to SARS-CoV-2.MethodsWe analysed Swiss weekly deaths (2011–2021) by age, sex, region, and nine cause groups. For each age group, a Bayesian multivariate Poisson model was fitted to 2011–2019 data, accounting for seasonality, long-term trends, and cross-cause dependence. Comparing predictions with 2020–2021 observations revealed age- and cause-specific excesses.ResultsCardiovascular deaths peaked during the autumn 2020 wave, while no cause showed sustained excess across 2020–2021. In individuals aged ≥80 years, non-COVID respiratory (−25%) and mental/neurological (−12%) deaths declined, largely offset by COVID-19 deaths, leaving a modest +4.5% all-cause excess. Cardiovascular and mental/neurological excesses correlated with COVID-19 and other respiratory excesses, reflecting strong pre-pandemic cross-cause correlations (ρ>0.80).ConclusionThese patterns likely reflect three overlapping mechanisms: reduced circulation of non-COVID-19 respiratory pathogens, unrecognized COVID-19 deaths (especially cardiovascular), and mortality displacement, pointing to possible underestimation of the true respiratory burden.