Complex chronic conditions in children and adolescents: hospitalizations in Brazil, 2013.

This article aims to estimate the extent of hospitalizations for complex chronic conditions in Brazil. Data from the Hospital Information System for 2013 were compiled according to the International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision. Hospitalization rates were estimated according to region, sex, age and disease chapter, taking into account the 2012 population as a reference, as well the percentage of highly complex procedures and mortality rates. Public hospitals treated 190,000 inpatients in 2013. The rate was highest among the population in the South of Brazil, those who were male and children under the age of one. The rate was lowest among the population in the North, females and children aged between 10 and 14years. The mean duration of hospitalization was six days, the percentage of highly complex procedures was 13.5% and the mortality rate was 1.3%. The three most common causes for hospitalizations were diseases of the respiratory system, neoplasms and diseases of the nervous system. The incidence of complex chronic conditions is 331 inwards per 100,000 children and adolescents in Brazil, with an estimate of 240,000 children and adolescents hospitalized. This panorama points to the problem as an emergent public health issue in Brazil.