Racial inequality in health care of adults hospitalized with COVID-19

The objective was to analyze the association of race/skin color in health care, in adults hospitalized with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)/COVID-19, between March 2020 and September 2022, with Brazil as the unit of analysis. This is a cross-sectional study that used the Influenza Epidemiological Surveillance Information System (SIVEP-Gripe) database and had a population composed of adults (≥ 18 years) and the final classification was SARS by COVID-19 or unspecified SARS. The direct effect of skin color on in-hospital mortality was estimated through logistic regression adjusted for age, gender, schooling level, health care system and period, stratified by vaccination status. This same model was also used to assess the effect of skin color on the variables related to access to health care services: intensive care unit (ICU), tomography, chest X-ray and ventilatory support. The results show that black, brown and indigenous people died more, regardless the schooling level and number of comorbidities, with 23%, 32% and 80% higher chances of death, respectively, when submitted to ventilatory support. Racial differences were observed in the use of health care services and in outcomes of death from COVID-19 or unspecified SARS, in which ethnic minorities had higher in-hospital mortality and lower use of hospital resources. These results suggest that black and indigenous populations have severe disadvantages compared to the white population, facing barriers to access health care services in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

High discrepancies in the mortality of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in the two most economically important states in Brazil

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to compare the proportion of deaths among hospitalized cases of COVID-19 in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, stratified by private and public services.

METHODS

Hospitalization data for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) were obtained using the SIVEP-Gripe Database. All hospitalized adults who were diagnosed as COVID-19 or unspecified SARS, between January and December 2020, were included in the analysis. Logistic regression models were fitted to evaluate the risk of death between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, adjusted for age, sex, and comorbidities.

RESULTS

A total of 388,657 hospital registers for Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo (91,532 and 297,125, respectively) were analyzed. Missing data are frequent in the database and it was greater in Rio de Janeiro, at the state and capital levels. Adjusting for confounders, the odds ratio of dying by COVID-19, comparing the state of Rio de Janeiro with São Paulo, was 2.51 in the private hospitals and 2.29 in the public ones. For the capitals, the scenario is worse. The lethality among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 is at least twice in Rio de Janeiro than São Paulo, both at the states and capitals. The public or private services showed important differences, with odds ratios of 2.74 and 3.46, respectively.

CONCLUSION

It appears that the worst governance in the health sector in Rio de Janeiro, more than lack of resources, explains the excess mortality of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Rio de Janeiro.

Metabolic Evaluation in Patients With Hepatitis C Treated With Direct Antiviral Agents

Epidemiological data clearly indicate a link between hepatitis C virus (HCV) and altered glucose homeostasis.

Objective: To evaluate the response of treatment with direct antiviral agents (DAAs) on metabolic variables of patients with hepatitis C.

Methods: Observational, cross-sectional study in a sample of patients with hepatitis C starting therapy with DAAs followed on the hepatology division of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro State. Data were collected in two stages: before the start of therapy and between 12 and 52 weeks after obtaining the sustained virological response.

Results: In the baseline assessment of the 97 patients selected, 19.3% were obese, 38.6% were overweight, 50% were hypertensive, 43.8% were pre-diabetic, 12.5% were diabetic, 31.2% were dyslipidemic, and 21.8% had metabolic syndrome. There was an increase in total cholesterol and LDL levels (p < 0.001), and a non-significant reduction in blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, insulin, and HOMA-IR levels after treatment. In the post-treatment, there was a reduction in fibrosis (p = 0.016), with a reduction in the levels of GGT, AST, and ALT (all with p < 0.001), as well as in the FIB4 and APRI scores (both with p < 0.001) and in the degree of fibrosis evaluated by elastography represented in kPa (p = 0.006). The blood glucose level was higher in patients with steatosis (p = 0.039) after treatment. There was a positive pre-treatment correlation between the degree of fibrosis (kPa) and FIB4 (r = 0.319, p = 0.004), APRI (r = 0.287, p = 0.010), and the NAFLD score (r = 0.275, p = 0.016).

Conclusion: Patients with hepatitis C had a high prevalence of metabolic disturbance in the pre-treatment phase, but the therapy did not show beneficial effects, especially on glucose metabolism.

Trends in obesity prevalence among Brazilian adults from 2002 to 2013 by educational level

Background

Obesity ranks as a major public health problem in many countries in the world. The obesity-socioeconomic status relationship is not well established in middle-income countries.

Methods

The aim of this study was to estimate the obesity and overweight trends from 2002 to 2013 by sex, age, and educational levels among Brazilian adults. The panel prevalence trend study was conducted, considering the sample weights and study design. Three nationwide surveys were analyzed: the Household Budget Survey 2002/2003 and 2008/2009, and the National Health Survey 2013. The total sample was 234,791 adults aged 20–59 years.

Results

The prevalence of obesity increased from 7.5 to 17.0% from 2002 to 2013 among adults aged 20–39 years and from 14.7 to 25.7% among those aged 40–59 years, slightly higher among young women. In each survey, education was positively associated with the prevalence of obesity among men, whereas this association was negative among women. The greatest increase in the prevalence of obesity was 90% (11.9 to 22.5%) and occurred from 2008 to 2013 among women with secondary educational level, whereas at the pre-primary level there was a 42% (20.4 to 29.0%) increase.

Conclusions

Obesity prevalence in Brazil continued to increase, mostly among women with secondary education. Policies aimed at reducing the prevalence of obesity should consider sociodemographic characteristics in the population.