Epidemiological profile of hospitalizations for Parkinson’s disease in brazil from 2012 to 2022

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative pathology that mainly affects the elderly and whose clinical manifestations involve the motor system with resting tremor and muscle rigidity. This condition has a multifactorial etiology that results in the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. In Brazil, PD contributes significantly to hospital admissions, especially in relation to complications such as falls, severe motor crises and aspiration pneumonia. In addition, its high prevalence among the elderly population increases mortality rates. Objective: To analyze the epidemiological pattern of hospitalizations for PD in Brazil from 2012 to 2022. Methods: A descriptive analysis was carried out to assess the geographical distribution of hospitalizations caused by PD (ICD G20) in Brazil. The DATASUS database was used, which was segmented by age group, gender and ethnicity, within the Hospital Information System (SIH) segment, from 2012-2022. Results: From 2012 to 2022, the number of hospitalizations due to PD increased from 398 to 791 per year, an increase of 98.74%, totaling 7,427 cases in that period. The Southeast region had the highest number of hospitalizations (53.27%), while the Midwest had the lowest (3.54%). In terms of age group, those aged 60 and over accounted for the majority of hospitalizations (73.67%), which indicates a higher prevalence in older age groups and highlights the need for health care for the elderly. In terms of gender, men had more hospitalizations than women in all the years analyzed, with a total of 4,321 (58.16%) for men and 3,106 (41.84%) for women. As for color/race, white people accounted for the majority of admissions (64.94%), followed by brown (29.62%) and black (4%). Conclusion: Analysis of the results shows that the increase in hospitalizations during the period in question reflects the increase in the incidence of the disease, possibly due to better identification and recording of PD cases. The geographical distribution shows a more evident concentration in the southeast region, indicating regional disparities in access to health services or in the prevalence of the disease. The predominance of hospitalizations among individuals aged 60 and over highlights the vulnerability of the elderly population to PD. In addition, the differences observed between the sexes, with a higher proportion of hospitalizations among men, and between different racial groups, with a predominance of hospitalizations among white people, suggest that biological and socioeconomic factors may influence the incidence and severity of the disease.