Resumen

PEIXOTO, Sérgio Viana; GIATTI, Luana; ELMIRA AFRADIQUE, Maria  y  FERNANDA LIMA-COSTA, Maria. Cost of public hospitalization among ilderly in Brazil's Unified Health System. Epidemiol. Serv. Saúde [online]. 2004, vol.13, n.4, pp.239-246. ISSN 1679-4974.  http://dx.doi.org/10.5123/S1679-49742004000400006.

The objective of this work was to examine the costs of hospitalization among older adults (60 years or more) and younger adults (20-59 years) in Brazil during 2001, according to sex, age group, region and diagnosis, as well as to comparate this information to that for younger adults (20-59 years). Data were obtained from Brazil´s system of hospital information in the national Unified Health System (SIH-SUS). Older adults represented 14.3% of the adult population, but were responsible for 33.5% of adults hospitalizations, and 37.7% of public expenditures for these hospitalizations. The mean cost of hospitalization, higher in the southeastern region of Brazil, and lower in the north, highlights regional differences. These results show the important contribution of the elderly to public hospital expenditures with leading causes including ischemic heart disease, heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. These results reinforce the need of prevention and health promotion activities for the reduction of these diseases.

Palabras clave : aging; hospitalizations; hospital costs.

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