Historical series and clinical-epidemiological characteristics of cases reported as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in pediatric patients in Brazil, 2009-2021

Abstract

Objective: To analyze historical series and clinical-epidemiological variables of cases reported as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Brazilians under 15 years of age from 2009 to 2021. Method: Ecological study using data from SARS Notification Forms available in the Health System Information from the Flu Epidemiological Surveillance with date of first symptoms from 2009 to 2021. To analyze the variables, they were categorized into pandemic years (2009, 2020 and 2021) and non-pandemic periods (2010 to 2019). Results: Children under five years of age had the highest rate and percentage of cases. In the pandemic years category, preschoolers had the highest percentages of reported cases and newborns had the highest fatality percentages; while in the non-pandemic period, it was post-neonatal infants with the highest percentage of cases and adolescents with the highest lethality. The Southeast and Northeast regions showed increased percentages during the study. Rates in all age groups analyzed were high and rising from February 2020, emphasizing the two waves of COVID-19, while lethality remained low. Conclusion: Although preschoolers were reported more in pandemic years, those who died most in these years were newborns. For Southeast and Northeast Regions, the increase may reflect better quality in notifications as well as greater barriers to accessing health services, resulting in arriving at emergency rooms with severity. In 2020 and 2021, there was a continuous increase in the rate of cases reported as SARS in the pediatric age groups, not accompanied by increased lethality.