Epidemic curves and the profile of patients hospitalized by COVID-19 in a border region.

OBJECTIVE: to describe the epidemic curves and analyze the epidemiological profile of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in a triple border city. METHOD: descriptive-quantitative. The population consisted of COVID-19 cases that required hospitalization, analyzing variables such as: age, gender, race/color, city where they lived, occupation, pregnant woman, institutionalized patient and evolution. Descriptive statistical analysis and analysis of variance and chi-square tests were used. RESULTS: four epidemic curves were identified in the studied period. Among hospitalized cases, males predominated (55%). Cure was the most frequent outcome in curves 1, 2 and 4, but with no statistical difference (p = 0.2916). Curve 3 showed a higher frequency of deaths (41.70%) in relation to cures (38.77%). The mean ages were significantly different between the curves, with curve 4 having the lowest mean age. CONCLUSION: it was concluded that the epidemic curves were influenced by different situations; unvaccinated population, easing of restrictive measures, reopening of the Brazil-Paraguay border, interruption of control actions, crowding of people and circulation of new variants of the disease. Through the epidemiological profile of hospitalized patients, it was concluded that being male, of mixed race/color, aged between 61 and 85 years, and being deprived of freedom were associated with hospitalization and the occurrence of death.

Risk Factors for Death among Hospitalized and Nonhospitalized Patients due to COVID-19 in a Triple International Border Municipality.

Introduction: The severity of COVID-19 in the general population ranges from minimally symptomatic disease to critical illness, which may require hospitalization and progress to death. Methods: A retrospective cohort study carried out with all positive cases of COVID-19 reported in the municipality of Foz do Iguaçu (PR) between the period from March 2020 to December 2021. Data were collected from Bank Notifies COVID-19 is the name of the information system that provides notifications by professionals of suspected and confirmed cases of the disease. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques and calculation of relative risk. Results: 24,647 confirmed cases were identified in the study; among these, 22,211 (90.1%) were not hospitalized and 2436 (9.9%) were hospitalized. Among the 2436 patients hospitalized for COVID-19, 947 (38.9%) died and 1489 (61.1%) recovered. Among the 22,211 outpatients, 93 (0.4%) died and 22,118 (99.6%) recovered. An association between death and the following characteristics was identified among the cases that were hospitalized: male gender, all age groups over 40 years, indigenous race/color, hospital staylength of more than 10 days,hospitalization in a Unified Health System (SUS) bed and in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). According to the clinical characteristics of symptoms and comorbidities, the following prevailed:ities dyspnea, intercostal retraction, cyanosis, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, smoking, lung disease, kidneydisease, neurological disease, neoplasia, and immunodeficiency. Among the cases that were not hospitalized, death was associated with: malegender, all age groups over 50 years, dyspnea, cyanosis, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, neurological disease, neoplasia, and liver disease. Conclusions: Older adults, male, and Caucasian people are commonly affected by COVID-19 and can evolve with aggravation when they have modifiable risk factors such as obesity and smoking, as well as nonmodifiable risk factors such as: cardiovascular disease, neurological disease, renal, hypertension, diabetes, and immunosuppression.