Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome due to COVID-19 among children and adolescents in Brazil: profile of deaths and hospital lethality as at Epidemiological Week 38, 2020

Epidemiol Serv Saude. 2020 Nov 6;29(5):e2020644. doi: 10.1590/S1679-49742020000500021. eCollection 2020.
[Article in English, Portuguese]

Abstract

Objective: To describe the profile of deaths and the lethality of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) due to COVID-19 in hospitalized children and adolescents in Brazil.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted with data from the SARS notification forms of children and adolescents (0 to 19 years old) with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. Notifications with complete progression of SARS due to COVID-19 were included, up to the 38th Epidemiological Week of 2020.

Results: 6,989 hospitalizations were investigated, 661 died, resulting in 9.5% hospital lethality. Higher lethality rates were observed among children under 1 year of age (14.2%), female children and adolescents (9.7%), the indigenous (23.0%), and those living in rural areas (18.1 %), as well as in the Northeast (15.4%) and North (9.7%) regions of Brazil.

Conclusion: Differences in hospital mortality were found according to sociodemographic characteristics and marked regional inequalities.

Objetivo: Descrever o perfil dos óbitos e a letalidade de síndrome respiratória aguda grave (SRAG) por COVID-19 em crianças e adolescentes hospitalizados no Brasil.

Métodos: Estudo transversal, realizado com dados das fichas de notificação de SRAG de crianças e adolescentes (0 a 19 anos) com confirmação laboratorial para COVID-19. Foram incluídas as notificações com evolução completa de SRAG por COVID-19 até a 38ᵃ Semana Epidemiológica de 2020.

Resultados: Foram investigadas 6.989 hospitalizações, das quais 661 evoluíram a óbito, perfazendo uma letalidade hospitalar de 9,5%. Observou-se maior letalidade entre menores de 1 ano de idade (14,2%), crianças e adolescentes do sexo feminino (9,7%), indígenas (23,0%) e residentes em zonas rurais (18,1%), como também nas regiões Nordeste (15,4%) e Norte (9,7%) do país.

Conclusão: Foram observadas diferenças na letalidade hospitalar, conforme as características sociodemográficas e marcantes desigualdades regionais.

Objetivo: Describir el perfil de muertes y letalidad del Síndrome Respiratorio Agudo Severo (SRAS) por COVID-19 en niños y adolescentes hospitalizados en Brasil.

Métodos: Estudio transversal realizado con datos de los formularios de notificación de SRAS de niños y adolescentes (0 a 19 años) confirmados en laboratorio para COVID-19. Se incluyeron notificaciones con evolución completa del SRAS por COVID-19, hasta la 38ª Semana Epidemiológica de 2020.

Resultados: Se incluyeron 6.989 hospitalizaciones, 661 fallecidas, resultando en letalidad hospitalaria del 9,5%. Se observaron mayores tasas de letalidad entre los niños menores de un año (14,2%), niñas y adolescentes (9,7%), indígenas (23,0%) y residentes en zonas rurales (18,1%), así como en las regiones Nordeste (15,4%) y Norte (9,7%).

Conclusión: Se observaron diferencias en la mortalidad hospitalaria según las características sociodemográficas y marcadas desigualdades regionales.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Age Distribution
  • Betacoronavirus*
  • Brazil / epidemiology
  • COVID-19
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Coronavirus Infections / complications
  • Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology
  • Coronavirus Infections / mortality*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Hospital Mortality*
  • Hospitalization / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Indians, South American / statistics & numerical data
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Pandemics
  • Pneumonia, Viral / complications
  • Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology
  • Pneumonia, Viral / mortality*
  • Residence Characteristics / statistics & numerical data
  • Rural Population / statistics & numerical data
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / etiology
  • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / mortality*
  • Sex Distribution
  • Young Adult