Epidemiological profile of hospitalizations for Spina Bifida in the Southeast between 2017 and 2022

*Correspondence: [e-mail].

Abstract

Background: Spina Bifida (SB) is a congenital malformation characterized by a defect in the neural tube’s closure. Thus, as a chronic condition, its clinical complications, whether neuromotor, orthopedic or renal disorders, have an impact on morbidity rates, reflecting the need for hospitalizations.

Objective: To identify the profile of hospitalized patients for SB in the Southeast region between 2017 and 2022.

Methods: This is a quantitative descriptive ecological study based on data available by the Hospital Morbidity System (SIH/SUS) on DATASUS, concerning hospitalizations for SB in the Southeast region, between 2017 and 2022, using the variables: year of processing, federative unit, sex, age group 1 and ethnicity. Microsoft Excel version 2010 was used for data analysis.

Results: Between January 2017 and December 2022, 2,097 hospitalizations for SB were registered in the Southeast region, with 62.42% in São Paulo (SP). There was a slight predominance of females (51.02%), maintaining the expected ratio of 1:1 between the genders. As for age group, children under 1 year of age (1,679) stand out, with 86.4% of Espírito Santo’s (ES) cases at this age. Such age hegemony ratifies the first days of a child's life as the ideal period for treatment, thus demanding hospitalization. Regarding ethnicity, there was a prevalence of White people (46.49%), especially in SP (63.33% of this state’s hospitalizations, representing 85.02% of all White patients), while Brown people prevailed in the other states. However, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), 43.12% of the patients did not identify with any ethnicity. Finally, one can notice the lack of significant impact of the pandemic period on hospitalizations for SB in the Southeast region.

Conclusion: The analyzed data reveal that most hospitalizations for SB in the Southeast region occurred in SP, with a majority of White children under 1 year of age, with a predominance of this age group in ES. Gender and the COVID-19 pandemic had negligible influence on the profile. Further studies may clarify the possible relationship of age and ethnicity with hospitalizations for SB in children. In addition, the present study analyzed only one Brazilian region, which limits the inference of similar findings in different regions, therefore requiring national studies or studies in other regions regarding the epidemiological profile of hospitalizations for SB.

 

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Artikel online veröffentlicht:
12. Mai 2025