Abstract
Brazil has the second highest age-standardized prevalence of Alzheimer's disease worldwide. However, information about Alzheimer's disease-related hospitalizations in Brazil is scarce despite its economic and social impact. We described temporal trends in hospitalizations related to Alzheimer's disease in Brazil from 2010 to 2019. We conducted a time-series, retrospective, descriptive, national-based study using data from the DATASUS database of the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Hospitalizations, mean days hospitalized, and economic costs from those hospitalizations were extracted from 2010 to 2019. Hospitalizations by Alzheimer's disease increased 87.7% from 2010 to 2019, with greater increase among men (97.4%), mixed ethnicity (224%), 80 years or older (115.1%), and in the Northeast (172.1%) and Central West (144.2%) regions. Although mean days hospitalized decreased in all subgroups, an increasing time trend in hospital admission was observed in the Central West Region. Costs per hospitalization increased for patients aged 50 years or younger and in admissions related to emergency services. Compared with other non-communicable chronic diseases, Alzheimer's disease had the highest increase in absolute number and rate of hospitalizations in Brazil from 2010 to 2019. AD is a public health problem in Brazil. Strategies to reduce its burden are necessary but only if accompanied by greater equality and awareness of this disease.
Highlights
In 2016, Brazil had the second highest age-standardized prevalence of dementia in the world, affecting about 1.7 million people 1
We observed an increase of 87.7% in hospitalizations due to Alzheimer’s disease in Brazil from 2010 to 2019 (Table 1)
This increase was even greater among men (97.4%), mixed ethnicity (224%), those aged 80 years or older (115.1%), and in Northeast (172.1%), Central West (144.2%), and Southeast (91.6%) regions of Brazil
Summary
In 2016, Brazil had the second highest age-standardized prevalence of dementia in the world, affecting about 1.7 million people 1. Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for up to 80% of all cases of dementia, is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by deterioration of cognitive function, such as memory and physical capacity 2. According to the Scientific Department for Cognitive Neurology and Aging of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology 5, the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease occurs when cognitive or behavioral symptoms affects at least two of the following domains: memory, executive functions, visual and spatial skills, language, and personality or behavior. Together with loss of functional capacity, these problems increased the frequency of hospitalizations in Alzheimer’s disease patients 6,7,8. This is concerning since these patients may have an irreversible cognitive and functional decline during hospitalization 9
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