Comorbidities and causes of death in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients from the Amazon region / Comorbidades e causas de morte em pacientes infectados com SARS-CoV-2 na região amazônica

Abstract

COVID-19 may be more severe in elder people and/or people presenting comorbidities, possibly leading to death. Therefore, we analyzed the profile of deaths caused by SARS-CoV-2 in part of the Amazon region, associating them to risk factors. 467 cases of death caused by COVID-19 from October 2020 to July 2021 were analyzed and correlated to age group, gender, comorbidities, and other risk factors, using the Chi-squared Test or Fisher's Exact Test as necessary. Deaths occurred in the age group between 17 and 98 years, with a predominance of men (57.4%) and higher concentration in the period between March and April 2021. Systemic arterial hypertension was the most prevalent disease, followed by smoking, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes mellitus. Smoker men and obese women (and/or with cardiovascular disease) presented higher chances to die, as well as obese people under 65 years and people over 65 years with cardiovascular disease, smokers, or hypertensive (p<0.05). The description of risk groups contributes for the adoption of strategies directed to the most vulnerable populations, as disease monitoring and an increase in vaccination rate, reducing the probability of overloading Brazil's Unified Health System.