Analysis of home and hospital deaths from respiratory and cardiovascular causes during the COVID-19 pandemic in Minas Gerais

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic in Minas Gerais (MG) resulted in a decrease of the demand for healthcare, such as outpatient consultations, exams and elective surgeries, as one of the contingency strategies. Objective: To analyze deaths from respiratory and cardiac causes during the first half of 2020 occurring in households and hospitals in MG. Methodology: The causes of deaths were analyzed using data from the Civil Registry Transparency Portal (ARPEN) in epidemiological weeks 1^st to 23^th. Results: It was found that, compared to the same period in 2019, there was an increase in home deaths from pneumonia (17.59%), respiratory failure (IR) (20.65%), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) (20.69%), sepsis (31.91%), acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (15.56%), stroke (18.29%) and other cardiovascular causes (18.44%) in 2020. In relation to hospital deaths, a reduction in deaths from pneumonia (6.08%), from IR (3.59%) and from sepsis (2.21%) was observed, despite an increase of 338.30% for SARS. In addition, there was a 3.02% decrease in deaths from strokes, and a 3.41% increase in AMI and 2.93% for other cardiovascular causes. In relation to age and gender, regardless of the place of death, men aged between 75 and 80 years predominated. Discussion and Conclusions: It is believed that part of these deaths are related to the restructuring of the dynamics of hospital care, associated with the fear of seeking assistance and becoming infected by the new coronavirus. In conclusion that there was an increase in home deaths and a reduction in hospital deaths in 2020 due to respiratory and cardiac causes in the context of the pandemic.