Dados do Trabalho

Título

ANALYSIS OF THE RACIAL PROFILES OF HOSPITALIZATIONS DUE TO SPINA BIFIDA IN THE NORTHEAST REGION OF BRAZIL IN 2023

Introdução

Spina bifida is one of the most common congenital anomalies in terms of defects in the neural tube formation, and is currently considered a serious public health issue. In the Brazilian Northeast, the situation is exacerbated, as the region has the highest number of cases (41.7% of the total) and hospitalizations due to spina bifida in the last decade. The most affected population from this issue is darker-skinned, making the necessity of more studies addressing the racial profile analysis of hospitalizations due to spina bifida in this region evident.

Objetivo

To analyze the racial profile of hospitalizations due to spina bifida in children up to one year old in the Northeast region of Brazil in the year 2023, given the lack of recent studies addressing this issue.

Método

Cross-sectional study, with a descriptive and quantitative approach, conducted through data collection from the Department of Informatics of the Brazilian Unified Health System (DATASUS). The present study analyzed the following parameters: absolute number of hospitalizations due to spina bifida in patients up to one year of age in 2023 in the Northeastern states, and the race/ethnicity of the patients.

Resultados

In the Northeast, there were 265 hospitalizations of patients with spina bifida up to one year old in 2023, with only 10 of them being light-skinned, 231 being darker-skinned and 24 of them not racially classified. When evaluated by states, Bahia is the most unequal, as the number of darker-skinned children affected is 53 times larger than lighter-skinned children. Considering that folic acid supplementation during pregnancy is extremely important for preventing such anomalies, it can be assumed that the historically worse socioeconomic conditions experienced by the darker-skinned population contribute to those pregnant women not having access to quality prenatal care and, consequently, not supplementing folic acid, which results in a higher number of hospitalizations due to spina bifida in this population.

Conclusão

The study has opened up space for discussion on the influence of racial factors on the hospitalizations due to spina bifida. However, further studies are needed to comprehend the relationship between the occurrence of spina bifida and the racial profile of these patients. Nevertheless, there is the need for awareness policies regarding the importance of folic acid supplementation for vulnerable populations, in order to reduce the hospitalizations due to spina bifida in northeastern darker skinned people

Referências

1. Brasil, Ministério da Saúde. (2023). Banco de dados do Sistema Único de Saúde-DATASUS. http://www.datasus.gov.br
2. Anjos, R. P. dos ., Leite, R. P. ., Paradis, R. J. M. ., Oliveira, F. J. de A. ., Silveira, F. D. ., Santos, A. V. F. ., Lacerda, G. M. de, Bispo, M. O. ., Silva, L. F. da ., & Azevedo, L. P. S. . (2024). Análise quantitativa e temporal das características epidemiológicas da espinha bífida no período de janeiro de 2013 a dezembro de 2023. Research, Society and Development, 13(7), e5613745811. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v13i7.45811
3. Atta, C. A., Fiest, K. M., Frolkis, A. D., Jette, N., Pringsheim, T., St Germaine-Smith, C., Rajapakse, T., Kaplan, G. G., & Metcalfe, A. (2016). Global Birth Prevalence of Spina Bifida by Folic Acid Fortification Status: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. American journal of public health, 106(1), e24–e34. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302902

Palavras Chave

Spina Bifida; Health Of Ethnic Minorities; Pregnancy