Stephentcandrews / Pexels Regular checkups help manage heart disease risk factorsStephentcandrews / Pexels
A study by the Brazilian Society of Cardiology (SBC) and the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF) in Minas Gerais observed a slight increase in hospital mortality from heart failure, a disease characterized by the heart’s inability to pump blood adequately. The researchers looked at 2,851,437 hospitalizations involving men and 2,749,424 involving women in Brazil’s public health system (SUS) between 2000 and 2021. Hospitalization rates for men fell by between 6.7% (aged 40 to 49) and 8.1% (over 80). Among women, the decline ranged from 7.5% (aged 70 to 79) to 8.3% (aged 50 to 59). However, deaths in hospital increased among men by 1.8% (aged 40 to 49) to 3.6% (over 80) and in women by 3.1% (over 80) to 3.5% (60 to 79). According to the team, led by the SBC’s José Marcos Girardi, the results reflect improvements in outpatient management of the disease, with hospitalization only occurring in the most severe cases, which themselves demonstrate the need to better manage risk factors for the disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, obesity, sedentary behavior, smoking, and diabetes (Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia, June).
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