MORTALITY PROFILE OF NECROTIZING ENTEROCOLITIS IN INFANTS UNDER ONE YEAR OF AGE IN BRAZIL, 2015-2024

Abstract

This study described mortality from necrotizing enterocolitis in infants under one year of age in Brazil from 2015 to 2024. It is an ecological study of deaths with necrotizing enterocolitis of fetus and newborn as the underlying cause (code P77 of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision), recorded in the Mortality Information System (SIM), and of live births from the Live Birth Information System (SINASC). Rates per 100,000 live births were calculated for the country, regions and states and by age component (early neonatal, late neonatal and post-neonatal). There were 6,763 deaths, a rate of 24.6 per 100,000 live births in the period. The rate rose from 18.6 in 2015 to 28.0 in 2024; the number of deaths peaked in 2019 (737) and declined until 2024 (670), while live births fell by 16.1% between 2019 and 2024. Most deaths occurred between 7 and 27 days of life (53.7%), in males (55.5%), in preterm infants (84.5%) and in infants weighing less than 1,500 g (66.7%). By age component, the period rate was 13.2 in the late neonatal, 8.1 in the post-neonatal and 3.3 in the early neonatal period. The Southeast had the highest regional rate (27.6), and Sergipe the highest state rate (48.1). Necrotizing enterocolitis is a relevant cause of infant death in Brazil, concentrated among preterm and very low birth weight newborns, which reinforces the importance of preventing preterm birth and of qualified neonatal intensive care.