Caracterização epidemiológica da COVID-19 na macrorregião de Uberaba/MG

Abstract

COVID-19, CORonaVIrus Disease-19, is a pandemic infectious viral disease caused by the new coronavirus, a beta-coronavirus called SARS-COV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-COronaVirus-2). Since the appearance of the disease in 2019, in Wuhan, China, several studies have tried to understand the disease and its epidemiology, however, it is still not completely clear how the disease behaves, its incidence and its impacts. This limitation has more significant features in countries like Brazil, as the control and prevention measures are not uniform and many of the initiatives to fight the disease are implemented independently in each region or municipality. This work aims to describe the epidemiological profile of SARS-CoV-2 patients in the Triângulo Sul Macroregion, state of Minas Gerais, in order to contribute to the understanding of the epidemiology of the disease in Brazil and provide tools to plan and manage its detection, prevention and treatment of individuals affected by the disease. Between March 25 and October 21, 2020, in the city of Uberaba/MG, data were collected from 395 hospitalized patients with suspected moderate or severe forms of the disease. Data from these patients admitted to the three hospitals in the municipality of Uberaba who were qualified for admission and monitoring of the pandemic were descriptively and statistically analyzed. Of the 395 suspected cases, 82% were confirmed to be positive for COVID-19. The mean age of positive patients was 58.4 years, and 60.76% were male. Following these patients throughout their hospitalization, a mortality rate of 31.3% was observed. In the population positive for COVID-19, the risk of death increased by 4% for each year of the patient’s age. Likewise, the older the patient, the longer their hospitalization and the higher the risk of developing acute respiratory failure. Among the treatments tested in patients, heparin was associated with protection against mortality, and the absence of anticoagulant use was linked to a more than six times greater risk of death. Finally, comorbidities in patients with COVID-19 were positively correlated with increased hospitalization time. In summary, this study revealed that age, presence of comorbidities, length of hospitalization, and drug treatment considerably altered COVID-19’s lethality. To understand infection rates and the factors involved in COVID-19’s lethality, knowledge of the local epidemiology is necessary.