Overall frailty gauged in victims of the Italian plague (Imola, 1630–1632): was plague an indiscriminate killer?

Abstract Plague is an epidemic-prone infectious disease that has affected humanity with catastrophic effects throughout almost its entire history. One of the most intriguing questions last years whether plague kills indiscriminately. To address question regarding pre-existent health conditions, this study aims to assess overall frailty victims and compare it a sample non-plague from same period area. Frailty was assessed using biological index (BIF) on two skeletal series dated seventeenth century north-eastern Italy: one Imola’s Lazzaretto ( n = 93) another attritional cemetery located in Ravenna 58). Comparisons between BIF values samples were performed separately by sex age classes. Cox proportional hazards regression conducted analyze factors associated risk dying plague. The age-adjusted ANCOVA test revealed no significant differences results samples. However, according Cox’s regression, individuals lowest category (the least frail) had significantly higher hazard Although we found mean univariate analysis, low level showed than other causes. In fact, otherwise healthier (i.e., levels frailty) could be only among victims.