Situação de saúde das doenças diarréicas agudas em uma macrorregião de saúde do estado da Bahia: um estudo ecológico de 2013 a 2023

Abstract

Acute diarrheal diseases (ADD) persist as a public health challenge in Brazil, with a huge impact on vulnerable populations. Even today, ARDs have high rates of illness and death, especially among children and the elderly. Lack of access to basic sanitation is one of the main factors associated with the high incidence of diarrhea. Objective: To analyze the occurrence of diarrheal diseases in a health macro-region in Bahia. Methodology: A descriptive study was carried out using secondary data from the Computerized System for Epidemiological Surveillance of Acute Diarrheal Diseases (SIVEP-DDA) provided by the Eastern Regional Health Center (NRS-Leste) of the state health department (SESAB-BA). Results: According to SIVEP-DDA, between 2013 and 2023, 544,831 cases of ADD were recorded in the macro region, representing 22.32% of the cases notified in the state. The most affected age group was 10 years and over, followed by 1 to 4 years. There was a reduction in the severity of the disease as the treatment plan was implemented. As for the number of deaths, according to DATASUS, between 2013 and 2021, 747 deaths were recorded in the macro-region, of which 539 (72.15%) occurred in the elderly population. A worrying scenario was seen with regard to childhood vaccination. Conclusion: The actual records of cases of diarrheal diseases in the macro-region are presumably underreported, especially in the years 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study faced difficulties in identifying cases of DDAs in the elderly due to the lack of information in SIVEP DDA. As for limitations, the nature of the study stands out, since it uses a secondary database. The quality and consistency of this data represent challenges that have a direct impact on the reliability of the conclusions.