Hospital morbidity and mortality among children under one year of age, Ribeirão Preto, SP (Brazil), 1975

Abstract

The data of 1975 of hospital morbidity and mortality among children under one year of age was studied in Ribeirão Preto, S. Paulo, Brazil. The hospitalizaron rate for these children, excluding newborn, was very high - 437 per 1000 - and was higher for boys than for girls. Diarrhea, dehydration, and pneumonia accounted for 80.36% of admissions. There were, however, evident differences in morbidity related to categories of hospitalization. Infectious diseases were responsible for the largest portion (75%) of hospital deaths among these children, and mortality was over 3 times greater for indigent children than for those whose care was remunerated.