HOSPITALIZATIONS AND MORTALITY DUE TO RESPIRATORY DISEASES IN BRAZILIAN CHILDREN: A NATIONAL EPIDEMIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS FROM 2014 TO 2024

Abstract

This article aimed to analyze the epidemiological profile of hospitalizations and mortality due to respiratory diseases among Brazilian children aged 5 to 9 years between 2014 and 2024. This was an ecological, retrospective, descriptive epidemiological study with a quantitative approach, based on secondary data obtained from the Hospital Information System of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SIH/SUS), available through DATASUS. Variables analyzed included hospitalizations, deaths, length of hospital stay, sex, geographic region, type of admission, and major respiratory diagnoses. A total of 992,280 hospitalizations and 2,624 deaths were recorded during the study period, with a predominance of males (54.1%), a higher concentration of cases in the Southeast region (36.1%), and a predominance of emergency admissions (73.5%). Pneumonia was identified as the leading cause of hospitalization (36.5%) and hospital mortality (55.3%). A marked reduction in hospitalizations was observed in 2020 and 2021, followed by a substantial increase from 2022 onward, reaching the highest level in 2023. It is concluded that respiratory diseases remain an important cause of pediatric morbidity and mortality in Brazil, highlighting the need to strengthen prevention strategies, early diagnosis, and pediatric healthcare services.