Causas de internações hospitalares entre idosos brasileiros no âmbito do Sistema Único de Saúde

Abstract

The profile of hospitalized older adults (60 years or more) in Brazil was described, and compared to that of adults aged 20-59 years, with an emphasis on the cause of hospital admission. The sources of data analyzed were the national information system of hospital admissions for Brazil´s Unified Health System (SIH-SUS) and the estimated population for 2001. The risk of hospitalization was higher among older adults for almost all causes investigated. Cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive diseases were responsible for 60% of hospitalizations among older adults, while for younger adults the corresponding percentage was 38%. The three leading causes of hospital admissions among the elderly (both males and females) were heart failure, bronchitis/emphysema, other chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and pneumonia. The results of this study demonstrate the importance of the systematic use of data available in SIH-SUS for the planning and monitoring of health actions targeting the elderly population in Brazil