Epidemiological analysis of hospitalization of the elderly in Brazil between 2019 and 2023

Abstract

Brazil has seen an increase in the elderly population as a result of falling mortality rates. Associated with the ageing process, there is an increased risk of developing comorbidities, which is why the health system has found it difficult to keep up with the rapid demographic transition and support this more fragile section of the population. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological aspects of hospitalization of the elderly in Brazil. This is a retrospective epidemiological study, with a quantitative approach, which used data from the Hospital Information System and the Unified Health System, made available by the Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System, for the period 2019 to 2023. The variables analyzed were: type of care, gender, race, reason for hospitalization, cause of death and region with the highest incidence. 16,779,162 elderly people were admitted to hospital units: 78% (n= 16,069,729) were admitted as emergencies. Of these individuals, 51% (n= 8,595,199) were male and 41% (n= 6,892,500) were white. Initially, 21% (n= 3,485,803) were hospitalized for diseases related to the circulatory system, but the main cause of death was pneumonia, which accounted for 7% (n= 1,195,048) of these patients, and was most prevalent in the southeast region with 508,696 deaths. Hospitalizations of the elderly in Brazil are on the rise, and epidemiological characteristics, a reduction in the number of public investments and social factors are determining factors in this variation. The main related diseases are those affecting the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, accounting for almost half of the deaths in this age group. The increase in the number of hospitalizations demonstrates the need to formulate public policies to improve the quality of life of the elderly population.