Hospitalizations for Asthma in Children and Adolescents: A National Overview – DATASUS

Abstract

Introduction: Asthma is one of the most common chronic respiratory diseases in childhood and adolescence, representing an important cause of morbidity, emergency care, and potentially preventable hospitalizations. Objective: To analyze the profile of asthma-related hospitalizations among children and adolescents in Brazil according to age group, hospital length of stay, and region, from 2013 to 2023. Methods: This was an ecological, descriptive, and retrospective study based on secondary data from the Hospital Information System of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SIH/SUS), including hospitalizations for asthma in individuals aged 1 to 19 years. The variables analyzed were age group, region, number of hospitalizations, mean length of stay, and hospital mortality rate. Results: A total of 533,186 asthma-related hospitalizations were recorded during the study period. Children aged 1 to 4 years accounted for the highest number of admissions, with 271,895 cases (50.99%), followed by those aged 5 to 9 years, with 179,086 (33.59%). Regarding regional distribution, the Northeast had the highest number of hospitalizations, with 197,907 cases (37.12%), followed by the Southeast, with 169,212 (31.74%). The overall mean length of stay was 2.9 days, with the highest value observed among children aged 1 to 4 years (3.0 days). The overall hospital mortality rate was 0.06, with the highest regional value in the Southeast (0.07) and the highest age-specific value among adolescents aged 15 to 19 years (0.19). Conclusion: Asthma-related hospitalizations were concentrated mainly among younger children, whereas the highest hospital mortality was observed among adolescents, highlighting relevant age-related and regional differences for healthcare planning and preventive strategies.