A retrospective study of COVID-19 deaths in a large municipality and intervening factors: analysis of the 2020-2022 period
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29352/mill0218e.36684Keywords:
COVID-19; mortality; cohort studies; Brazil; adultAbstract
Introduction: COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2 and declared a pandemic by the WHO in March 2020, globally affected over 700 million cases and caused nearly 7 million deaths by January 2024, with Brazil registering significant numbers. Socioeconomic inequalities and pre-existing conditions were relevant factors in mortality. The standardization of death notifications and the vaccination campaign, initiated in Brazil in 2021, were important in facing the crisis. Local research on the factors of death aims to optimize care and response to future health emergencies.
Objective: To analyze deaths from COVID-19 in a municipality in the State of São Paulo, as well as to identify related intervening factors.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study, following the STROBE guidelines, with data collected from the national and municipal information systems of 1254 residents in the municipality, aged 18 years or older who died with a diagnosis of COVID-19, from 2020 to 2022, was analyzed through descriptive statistics. The study was approved by the University Research Ethics Committee, Opinion 5467966.
Results: 1254 deaths were notified, 54.86% in 2021; 39.07% in 2020, and 6.06% in 2022, 55.58% male and 44.42% female, 24% between 60 and 69 years, and 22.41% between 70 and 79 years. 57.26% sought emergency room service once, 42.74% twice or more. 92.19% were hospitalized once, and 3.65% two to three times, 39.16% in the Intensive Care Unit. 96.14% presented respiratory symptoms, and 44.06% used ventilatory support. 41.39% received one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The intervening factors were year of occurrence, age group, musculoskeletal, neurological, and metabolic disorders, need for ICU and ventilatory support.
Conclusion: We can identify that age group, musculoskeletal, neurological, and metabolic disorders, the need for ventilatory support, and ICU admission presented relevant epidemiological results and thus represent intervening factors in cases of death from COVID-19 in the municipality. These epidemiological findings highlight the importance of public policies focused on the control and prevention of these factors, as well as on understanding the context in which the population is inserted. Additionally, the heterogeneity in the notification and insertion of data into the systems by professionals compromises the consistency of the collected information, limiting the accuracy of the results. In this sense, it becomes essential to implement training programs for the professionals responsible for notifications, aiming to improve the quality and uniformity of the registered data.
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