Mortality from neglected tropical diseases in Brazil, 2000-2011.

Francisco Rogerlândio Martins-Melo,Carlos Henrique Alencar,Jorg Heukelbach,Alberto Novaes Ramos

doi:10.2471/blt.15.152363

Francisco Rogerlândio Martins-Melo, Carlos Henrique Alencar + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.2471/blt.15.152363

Copy DOI

Abstract

ObjectiveTo describe mortality from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Brazil, 2000–2011.MethodsWe extracted information on cause of death, age, sex, ethnicity and place of residence from the nationwide mortality information system at the Brazilian Ministry of Health. We selected deaths in which the underlying cause of death was a neglected tropical disease (NTD), as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) and based on its International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems, 10th revision (ICD-10) codes. For specific NTDs, we estimated crude and age-adjusted mortality rates and 95% confidence intervals (CI). We calculated crude and age-adjusted mortality rates and mortality rate ratios by age, sex, ethnicity and geographic area.FindingsOver the 12-year study period, 12 491 280 deaths were recorded; 76 847 deaths (0.62%) were caused by NTDs. Chagas disease was the most common cause of death (58 928 deaths; 76.7%), followed by schistosomiasis (6319 deaths; 8.2%) and leishmaniasis (3466 deaths; 4.5%). The average annual age-adjusted mortality from all NTDs combined was 4.30 deaths per 100 000 population (95% CI: 4.21–4.40). Rates were higher in males: 4.98 deaths per 100 000; people older than 69 years: 33.12 deaths per 100 000; Afro-Brazilians: 5.25 deaths per 100 000; and residents in the central-west region: 14.71 deaths per 100 000.ConclusionNTDs are important causes of death and are a significant public health problem in Brazil. There is a need for intensive integrated control measures in areas of high morbidity and mortality.

Highlights

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) can result in disabilities, disfigurement, impaired childhood growth and cognitive development, death and increasing poverty in affected communities.[1]
We selected all NTDs as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) based on its International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems, 10th revision (ICD-10) codes,[18] whether or not the disease is known to be endemic in Brazil (Table 1).[1,4]
We identified 76 847 deaths with an NTD recorded as the underlying cause (Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) can result in disabilities, disfigurement, impaired childhood growth and cognitive development, death and increasing poverty in affected communities.[1]. Brazil accounts for a large proportion of NTDs occurring in Latin America, including leprosy (86%), dengue fever (40%), schistosomiasis (96%), Chagas disease (25%), cutaneous leishmaniasis (39%) and visceral leishmaniasis (93%).[6,7,8] Most NTDs occur in populations with low-socioeconomic status, mainly in the north and north-east of the country.[6]. Knowledge of the magnitude of NTD-related deaths in endemic countries is essential for monitoring and evaluation of the impact of interventions and the effectiveness of specific control measures.[9,10,11] there are only a few systematic and large-scale studies investigating NTD-related mortality.[9,10,12,13,14,15,16] Here, we describe the epidemiological characteristics of deaths due to NTDs in Brazil over a period of 12 years

Methods

Results

Conclusion