INCIDENCE OF MENTAL RETARDATION IN RECIFE POPULATION: AN ANALYSIS FROM NATIONAL HEALTH INDICATORS

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Introduction: Mental retardation is characterized by the arrest or incomplete development of intellectual functioning, essentially by a impairment of cognitive functions, language, motor skills and social behavior. The prevalence rate traditionally quoted is 1% of the young population. Objective: To describe the incidence / prevalence data in cases of mental retardation between 2014 and 2018 by sample of the type of clinical care, gender and age group in the city of Recife. Methodology: This is a study in secondary databases, through the Basic Data indicators of Brazil, a tool of the health information system, using quantitative analysis of the variables. Results: We analyzed data regarding hospitalizations between 2014 and 2018. We observed that Recife had 93.7% of hospital admissions in Pernambuco, and the total amount spent by public coffers in 2018 was 31% higher than 2017, however, 24.2% lower than the average of the analyzed period. There is an equivalence in elective (56%) and urgent (46%) hospitalizations. The most frequently hospitalized age group was 20 to 29 years old (33.1%), followed by 30 to 39 years old (22.7%); The brown color presented 78.1% of the hospitalizations and 61% of the hospitalizations corresponded to the male gender. The average hospital stay of 2018 was the highest in the historical series (17.7), 46.7% higher than the average of the analyzed period (12.06). It is also noteworthy that together, the Areias General Hospital and the Ulysses Pernambucano Psychiatric Hospital received 81% of the notified hospitalizations. Discussion: There was a decrease in the incidence of cases in the population of the city of Recife, especially in 2017 and 2018. The most affected age group is young adults and males can be considered as a risk factor. Attention should be paid to the increase in permanence in 2018 as this is not a good indicator of health. It is also noteworthy that most hospitalizations occurred in the Pernambuco capital, indicating that the interior of the state still needs quality care for these patients. Conclusion: We observed the need to implement prevention and health promotion policies in the mental retardation scenario, such as guidance on the importance of keeping the vaccination card up to date – both mother and child – considering the association between viruses. and mental retardation and good prenatal care, paying attention to prenatal factors as causes of such mental disorder. Public policies aimed at integrating these patients into society are welcome, considering that mental retardation is a type of disorder that mainly affects individuals in need of therapies that can make them economically active.