IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PROFILE OF HOSPITALIZATIONS AND MORTALITY FROM CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES IN BRAZIL: ECOLOGICAL STUDY WITH SECONDARY DATA FROM DATASUS (2015–2025)

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the epidemiological profile of hospitalizations and mortality from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in Brazil between 2015 and 2025. An ecological time-series study was conducted using secondary data from the Hospital Information System (SIH/SUS) and the Mortality Information System (SIM), both available from DATASUS. Hospitalizations and deaths due to CVD (ICD-10: I00–I99) were analyzed according to year, geographic region, sex, and age group. Temporal trends were assessed using Prais–Winsten regression, complemented by the Mann–Kendall test, and comparisons were performed across pre-pandemic (2015–2019), pandemic (2020–2023), and post-pandemic (2024–2025) periods. A 17.8% reduction in hospitalization rates was observed during the pandemic (from 186.4/100,000 inhabitants in 2019 to 153.2/100,000 in 2020), with partial recovery in the post-pandemic period (172.5/100,000 in 2025). Hospital case-fatality increased from 5.6% in the pre-pandemic period to 8.2% during the pandemic, remaining elevated in the post-pandemic period (7.0%). The North and Northeast regions showed the greatest impact. Additionally, the average hospitalization cost increased by 33.3% during the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic led to a substantial reduction in CVD hospitalizations and a marked increase in hospital case-fatality rates in Brazil, with incomplete recovery in the post-pandemic period, highlighting persistent indirect effects on cardiovascular care within the Brazilian Unified Health System.