Doença isquêmica do coraçäo: internaçöes, tempo de permanência e gastos: Brasil, 1993 a 1997 / Ischemic heart disease: hospitalization, length of stay and expenses in Brazil from 1993 to 1997

RESUMO

OBJECTIVE: To identify characteristics of the hospitalizations due to ischemic heart disease (IHD) made by the Single Health System -- "Sistema Unico de Saúde (SUS) in Brazil from 1993 to 1997. METHODS: The information used came from records of permissions for hospitalization due to IHD (diseases codified from 410 to 414 by the International Disease Classification -- 9th Revision) furnished by the data bank DATASUS. The material studied was classified according to age, sex and length of hospitalization of the patients, and expenses to the system for IHD. RESULTS: IHD represents 1.0 percent of total hospitalizations. Angina pectoris was the most frequent type, occurring in 53.3 percent of the cases, followed by acute myocardial infarct (26.6 percent). This later was more frequent in men and angina in women . The majority of patients with IHD stayed hospitalized from 5 to 8 days. In the years of 1997 the expenses due to hospital treatment for IHD reach to 0.01 percent of Brazil's Gross Internal Product. In the studied period (1993-1997), IHD was responsible by 1.0 percent of hospitalizations, however it was 3.3 percent of the expenses of SUS. CONCLUSION: IHD is an important cause of hospitalization by the SUS; it has a rather high cost, indicating the need for preventive measures aimed at reducing exposure to risk factors and to decrease the incidence of this group of diseases in the nation.