Objective: To estimate asthma mortality rates in Brazil for the period 1980-2012. Methods: On the basis of data from the Brazilian National Ministry of Health Mortality Database, we estimated mortality rates by calculating moving averages from a municipal perspective that would allow an evaluation differentiating between urban, rural, and intermediate (rurban) Brazil during the period 2002-2012. Trends were assessed using simple linear regression. Results: On average, 2,339 asthma-related deaths were reported per year during the study period. Asthma ranged from the 53rd to 95th leading cause of death. There was a decrease in asthma mortality rates in the country, from 1.92/100,000 population in 1980 to 1.21/100,000 population in 2012. From the municipal perspective, rates fell in urban and rurban Brazil, but increased in rural Brazil, except in the 5-34-year age group. Asthma mortality rates fell in the population under 25 years of age and increased among those over 74 years of age. Rates were always higher in females. Conclusions: Asthma mortality rates in Brazil have been decreasing slightly, with the decrease being more marked in the decade 2002-2012. Only the northeastern region of Brazil showed the opposite trend. Asthma mortality rates in urban and rurban Brazil showed a downward trend similar to that of the national scenario, whereas rural Brazil showed the opposite behavior. Analysis by age group showed that rates decreased among younger individuals and increased among the elderly aged ≥ 75 years.

Keywords: Asthma/mortality; Brazil; urban population; rural population.

Objective: To provide an update on asthma mortality trends in Brazil and its regions between 2014 and 2021. Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive observational study based on asthma mortality data from the Brazilian National Ministry of Health Mortality Database for the 2014-2021 period. Results: In the study period, there were 18,584 asthma deaths in Brazil, with an annual increase of 2.5%, corresponding to 0.03 deaths/100,000 population (95% CI, 0.01-0.04; p = 0.01). The northeastern region of the country had the highest prevalence of asthma deaths (1.50 deaths/100,000 population), and the southern region showed the greatest variation in the study period (44%). We observed a higher proportion of deaths among females and elderly patients, and when analyzing asthma deaths by place of occurrence, we observed that 28% of all deaths occurred at home. Conclusions: Asthma mortality remains high and shows an increasing trend for the first time in the past decades. This constitutes an important public health concern, given the treatable nature of the disease.

Keywords: Public health; Asthma; Mortality.

Objectives: To describe the temporal trend in and spatial distribution of mortality from tracheal, bronchial, and lung cancer in Brazil from 1979 to 2004. Methods: Mortality data by gender and geographic region were obtained from the Mortality Database created by the Ministry of Health in 1975. Demographic data were collected from the national censuses, from population counts, and from population estimates made in non-census years. Mortality rates were standardized according to the direct method, and the trends were analyzed by gender and geographic region using the Prais-Winsten method for generalized linear regression. Results: Lung cancer mortality accounted for approximately 12% of the overall neoplasia-related mortality during the period. There was a trend toward an increase for both genders and in all regions, except for the male population in the southeast region, whose rates remained steady between 1979 and 2004. The highest rates were observed in the south and southeast regions. However, the northeast region was the one that presented the greatest increase, followed by the central-west and north regions. In all regions, the increase in mortality rates was higher in women. Conclusions: The increase in lung cancer mortality in Brazil between 1979 and 2004 requires public measures that can minimize exposition to risk factors, mainly tobacco, and allow greater access to health care facilities for diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords: Lung neoplasms; Epidemiology; Brazil.

There is much discussion about effective public policies that allow the proper treatment of asthma, providing care that is comprehensive and centered on asthma patients within their social context. Educating health professionals and asthma patients provides better recognition of symptoms and the triggers of asthma exacerbations, as well as disseminating strategies for avoiding such triggers, thereby ensuring better treatment and quality of life for asthma patients. Asthma imposes an ever-increasing burden on society, in terms of impaired quality of life, morbidity, and health care costs, making this a very important discussion in the field of public policy.

Keywords: Health policy; Asthma; Consensus.

Objective: To provide an update on trends in asthma mortality in Brazil for two age groups: 0-4 years and 5-34 years. Methods: Data on mortality from asthma, as defined in the International Classification of Diseases, were obtained for the 1980-2014 period from the Mortality Database maintained by the Information Technology Department of the Brazilian Unified Health Care System. To analyze time trends in standardized asthma mortality rates, we conducted an ecological time-series study, using regression models for the 0- to 4-year and 5- to 34-year age groups. Results: There was a linear trend toward a decrease in asthma mortality in both age groups, whereas there was a third-order polynomial fit in the general population. Conclusions: Although asthma mortality showed a consistent, linear decrease in individuals ≤ 34 years of age, the rate of decline was greater in the 0- to 4-year age group. The 5- to 34-year group also showed a linear decline in mortality, and the rate of that decline increased after the year 2004, when treatment with inhaled corticosteroids became more widely available. The linear decrease in asthma mortality found in both age groups contrasts with the nonlinear trend observed in the general population of Brazil. The introduction of inhaled corticosteroid use through public policies to control asthma coincided with a significant decrease in asthma mortality rates in both subsets of individuals over 5 years of age. The causes of this decline in asthma-related mortality in younger age groups continue to constitute a matter of debate.

Keywords: Asthma/epidemiology; Asthma/mortality; Asthma/drug therapy.

Objective: To describe the clinical and epidemiological profile, as well as the prevalence, of tuberculosis/HIV co-infection in the Regional Health District of Tocantins, which serves 14 cities in the state of Maranhão, Brazil. Methods: This was a descriptive epidemiological study based on secondary data obtained from individual tuberculosis reporting forms in the Brazilian Case Registry Database. We included all reported cases of tuberculosis/HIV co-infection, by city, between January of 2001 and December of 2010. Results: In the district, 1,746 cases of tuberculosis were reported. Of those tested for HIV, 100 had positive results, which corresponded to a tuberculosis/HIV co-infection prevalence of 39%. Of the co-infected patients, 79% were male, 42% were Mulatto, and 64% were in the 20- to 40-year age bracket, 31% had had ≤ 4 years of schooling, and 88% resided in the city of Imperatriz. Cases of pulmonary tuberculosis and new cases of tuberculosis predominated (in 87% and 73%, respectively). Of the co-infected patients, 27% had positive sputum smear microscopy results, and 89% had chest X-ray findings suggestive of tuberculosis. Sputum culture was performed in only 7% of the cases. Conclusions: Our results show that, because of its clinical and epidemiological profile, tuberculosis/HIV co-infection is still a major public health problem in the southwestern region of Maranhão. This situation calls for better coordination between tuberculosis and sexually transmitted disease/AIDS control programs, as well as a political commitment and greater involvement on the part of administrators and health care professionals in the planning of interventions and the functioning of health care facilities.

Keywords: Tuberculosis/epidemiology; HIV infections/epidemiology; Comorbidity.

The objective of this study was to analyze trends in the tuberculosis mortality rate in Brazil (1990-2015) in an ecological time-series analysis. The indicators were obtained from the Brazilian National Ministry of Health. A joinpoint regression model was applied for the temporal analysis, with a level of significance of 5%. During the period in question, there was a trend toward a reduction in mortality in the country as a whole (p < 0.001) and in each of its five regions. The states with the highest tuberculosis mortality rates were Rio de Janeiro (7.0/100,000 population) and Pernambuco (5.0/100,000 population). Eleven states and the Federal District of Brasília showed downward trends. Only the state of Alagoas showed a significant increase (p < 0.001). The temporal behavior observed indicates that tuberculosis continues to be a major public health problem in Brazil.

Keywords: Tuberculosis/epidemiology; Tuberculosis/mortality; Mortality/trends; Epidemiologic studies.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe tuberculosis-related mortality in Espírito Santo, Brazil, evaluating its tendencies in relation to clinical presentation, gender and age bracket. Methods: We conducted a retrospective, descriptive study based on secondary data. For the 1985-2004 period, we investigated all deaths of residents of Espírito Santo in which tuberculosis was given as the underlying cause, as reported in the Brazilian National Mortality Database. Results: The adjusted mortality rates for all forms of tuberculosis paralleled the overall mortality rates in the state, decreasing from 5.6/100,000 inhabitants in 1985 to 2.0/100,000 inhabitants in 2004. Pulmonary tuberculosis was the predominant form of the disease (89.7% of tuberculosis-related deaths) throughout the period studied, and the male/ female mortality rate ratio ranged from 1.1 in 1998 to 3.19 in 2004. Conclusions: We observed a decrease in the mortality rates in all age brackets. Predominance of the pulmonary form, male gender and advanced age was similar to that of overall tuberculosis-related mortality in Brazil.

Keywords: Tuberculosis/epidemiology; Mortality; Information systems.

Introduction: During the period from 1970 to 1992, mortality from asthma in children and young adults increased in Rio Grande do Sul. The present study aimed at assessing this phenomenon in patients of the same age group, now extending the time period to 1998. Methods: The death certificates of 157 patients aged between 5 and 19 years in which asthma was reported to be the cause of death during 1970-80 were reviewed. Testing for trends was conducted using the log-linear, S-curve, and quadratic models. Results: Asthma mortality rate ranged from 0.04 to 0.399/100,000. Among the tested models, S curve trend model showed the best accuracy for the adjusted time series: r2=0.59; mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) = 23.48; mean absolute deviation (MAD) = 0.035; mean square deviation (MSD) = 0.0021. These results suggest that a plateau has probably been reached. The quadratic model also showed good accuracy values suggesting that a decrease in the coefficients probably started to occur. In this model, the estimated maximal point value was found in the 25th year (1994). Conclusions: Stabilization of asthma death rates is starting to occur in Rio Grande do Sul and it is likely that a decrease will take place.

Keywords: Asthma. Mortality. Brazil.

Objective: To analyze the number of hospitalizations, the length of hospital stay, and mortality due to asthma, as well as the costs to the Unified Health Care System in Brazil between 2008 and 2021. Methods: This was a cross-sectional epidemiological study using data from the Information Technology Department of the Brazilian Unified Health Care System. Proportional hospitalization and death rates were estimated per 100,000 population by age, microregion, and year. Results: The number of hospitalizations and deaths due to asthma decreased from 2008 to 2021 (205,392 vs. 55,009 and 822 vs. 327, respectively). In addition, a between-sex difference was observed in asthma-related hospitalizations in 2008, and more men were hospitalized in 2021 (51.8%). Asthma mortality rates were similar for both sexes (50.0% each) in 2008, and a slight increase was observed in women's deaths in 2021 (52.9%). Even so, approximately one death/day and more than 55,000 hospitalizations were observed yearly, with a mean length of hospital stay of three days. Additionally, the Southeast region allocated more financial resources to asthma-related hospitalizations. Conclusions: Our results showed that the number of deaths and hospitalizations due to asthma substantially declined during the study period.

Keywords: Asthma/mortality; Asthma/epidemiology; Hospitalization; National health programs.

Pneumoconioses make up a group of lung diseases related to exposure to mineral dusts in work environments. This is a public health problem as such diseases could have already been eradicated in Brazil with the use of control measures in such environments. The aim in this paper was to map the distribution of deaths due to pneumoconioses in the different Brazilian geographical areas and states through an ecological survey carried out among the working population older than 15 years. The preliminary results of this investigation in the Brazilian macro regions in the period from 1979 to 1998 are presented. This study used mortality data from the Mortality Information System of Datasus - Data Processing Department of the Unified Health System, including codes from International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 9 and ICD 10. The results showed an increase of the coefficient of deaths due to pneumoconioses per 1 million inhabitants per year throughout this period. The shift from ICD 9 to ICD 10 showed an increase in the frequency of deaths, which was twice as high. As a conclusion, the coefficients of deaths due to pneumoconiosis does not describe this problem adequately, thus obscuring the transcendence and magnitude of the disease. To obtain more representative indicators it is necessary to know the population really exposed and the territorial distribution of the disease.

Background: Tuberculosis is a disease linked to poverty, unequal distribution of wealth, and urbanization, as well as the epidemics of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome epidemic and multidrug resistance. Objective: To analyze indicators of tuberculosis morbidity and mortality in the city of São José do Rio Preto, Brazil from 1985 to 2003, compared with those in the state of São Paulo and in Brazil at large, and to determine the relationship between the risk of occurrence and socioeconomic level. Method: The following official information systems were utilized: the Sistema de Informação de Mortalidade (SIM, Mortality database), the Notificação de Tuberculose (Epi-Tb, Tuberculosis Notification database), the Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN, Case-registry database), the Departamento de Informação e Informática do Sistema Único de Saúde (DATASUS, Information Department of the Brazilian Health Ministry) and the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE, Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics database). New cases reported in 2003 in the urban area were georeferenced and analyzed. A map of the sectors, each classified as representing one of three socioeconomic classes, was drawn up, showing the respective tuberculosis incidence coefficients. Results: Comparing Brazil as a whole to the state of São Paulo, total incidence coefficients and mortality rates were similar, as were gender-related values. In the city of São José do Rio Preto the rates were consistently lower. The proportion of cases presenting tuberculosis/human immunodeficiency virus coinfection varied from 29% to 37%. In 2002, 59% and 65% of tuberculosis-only and coinfected tuberculosis patients, respectively, were under supervised treatment, with a cure rate of 81% and a treatment-abandonment rate of 1%. The risk of developing active tuberculosis was three times higher in the area presenting the lowest socioeconomic levels. Conclusion: Identification of the areas with different levels of risks for tuberculosis enables the Municipal Health Department to deal with the peculiarities of each region and to prioritize those presenting higher incidences of the disease.

Keywords: Tuberculosis. Epidemiology. Socioeconomic class. Supervised Treatment. Infection. HIV.

Objective: To examine the trends in overall COPD mortality, as well as trends in in-hospital morbidity and mortality due to COPD, in Brazil, and to validate predictive models. Methods: This was a population-based study with a time-series analysis of cause-specific morbidity and mortality data for individuals ≥ 40 years of age, obtained from national health information systems for the 2000-2016 period. Morbidity and mortality rates, stratified by gender and age group, were calculated for the same period. We used regression analyses to examine the temporal trends and double exponential smoothing in our analysis of the predictive models for 2017. Results: Over the study period, COPD mortality rates trended downward in Brazil. For both genders, there was a downward trend in the southern, southeastern, and central-western regions. In-hospital morbidity rates declined in all regions, more so in the south and southeast. There were significant changes in the number of hospitalizations, length of hospital stay, and hospital expenses. The predictive models for 2017 showed error rates below 9% and were therefore validated. Conclusions: In Brazil, COPD age-adjusted mortality rates have declined in regions with higher socioeconomic indices, where there has been an even sharper decrease in all in-hospital morbidity and mortality variables. In addition to factors such as better treatment adherence and reduced smoking rates, socioeconomic factors appear to be involved in controlling COPD morbidity and mortality. The predictive models estimated here might also facilitate decision making and the planning of health policies aimed at treating COPD.

Keywords: Pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive/mortality; Pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive/epidemiology; Socioeconomic factors.

Objective: To describe the mortality trends for lung cancer, cancer of the trachea, and bronchial cancer in relation to gender and age brackets in Brazil. Methods: Data related to mortality between 1980 and 2003 were collected from the Brazilian Mortality Database. A trend analysis of mortality was carried out, nationwide and in selected states, using the LOWESS technique for rate smoothing and model adjustments. Results: In Brazil, the standardized mortality rate for lung cancer, cancer of the trachea, and bronchial cancer increased from 7.21/100,000 inhabitants in 1980 to 9.36/100,000 inhabitants in 2003. Specific mortality rates decreased in males in the 30-49 and 50-59 age brackets. In the 60-69 age bracket, the rates for males increased from 1980 to 1995 and declined thereafter. There was a trend toward higher mortality rates in males over 70, as well as in females over 30, throughout the period evaluated. Conclusions: The decrease in the mortality rates in younger males might have resulted from recent national interventions aimed at reducing the prevalence of smoking and reducing exposure in younger cohorts. High mortality rates in older populations remained constant due to prior tobacco use. Increased mortality rates in females are a worldwide trend and are attributable to the recent increase in smoking prevalence in females.

Keywords: Lung neoplasms/epidemiology; Mortality/trends; Brazil.

Epidemiologic data on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis are relatively scarce, and its real incidence and prevalence are unknown. Recent studies suggest that idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis mortality is rising in developed countries. Objectives: To describe idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis mortality in the State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil, from 1970 to 2000, analyzing its trend and comparing it with that from other countries. Methods: Prevalence study, using data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), analyzing death certificates in which idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was stated as ultimate cause of death. Results: Annual mortality adjusted to population was 0.22/100,000 persons in the 1970's, 0.3/100,000 persons in the 1980's, and 0.48/100,000 persons in the 1990's. Total mortality rised 36% from 1970 to 1980, and 70% from 1980 to 1990. Mortality adjusted to population rised 36% and 60% during the same periods. The rise in both total and adjusted mortality from IPF was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The mean mortality rate per 100,000 persons during 1996 to 1998, however, was 0.683, corresponding to a rise of 70% when compared to the previous three-year period, which was 0.4 (p = 0.0002), probably reflecting encoding practices. Conclusion: There was a significant increase in IPF mortality in RS from 1970 to 2000, in part due to changes in coding practices. This increase is in conformity with observations in other countries, althought mortality rates in RS are considerably lower.

Keywords: Pulmonary fibrosis. Mortality.