CHRONIC SYSTEMIC COMORBIDITIES AND MORTALITY ASSOCIATED WITH CORONAVIRUS 2019 (COVID-19) IN HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS FROM A MEDIUM-SIZED BRAZILIAN CITY

Abstract

Introduction: Since February 2020, COVID-19 has severely impacted Brazil, being declared a pandemic that has resulted in over 650,000 deaths in the country. The relationship between the presence of chronic systemic comorbidities and the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 has been widely studied, especially across different age groups and genders. Objective: To evaluate the correlation between the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 and the presence of chronic systemic comorbidities in individuals aged 20 to 59 years, considering different genders, in the municipality of Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021. Methods: The study utilized data from the Influenza Epidemiological Surveillance Information System (SIVEP), which gathers information on cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), as well as reports from the COVID-19 Telemonitoring System of the Municipal Government of Vitória da Conquista. A total of 16,658 individuals were included, of which 9,255 were female and 7,403 were male. Results and Discussion: The overall fatality rate was 0.81%, with a hospitalization rate of 4.51% in the studied population. Among the hospitalized, 60.19% were male, and the fatality rate within this group was 16.54%. There was a discrepant fatality rate among young individuals aged 20 to 29 years compared to national trends. Additionally, a strong correlation was observed between chronic diseases, male gender, advanced age, and higher infection fatality rates. These findings suggest the need for greater promotion and prevention efforts in health, especially in Primary Health Care, to reduce the prevalence of chronic comorbidities. Conclusion: The results highlight the importance of developing specific protocols for the care of individuals with chronic comorbidities diagnosed with COVID-19, as well as intensifying health promotion and prevention actions to improve the response to severe cases in Tertiary Health Care.