Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 among individuals with cardiovascular diseases and their relationship with equity indicators

Objective: to analyze the relationship between chronic cardiovascular diseases and equity indicators in Brazilian adults hospitalized for COVID-19. Methods: this cross-sectional and analytical study utilizes secondary data from the Influenza Epidemiological Surveillance Information System, encompassing 1,204,767 cases with comorbidities. Initially, the association between cardiovascular diseases and sociodemographic characteristics was tested using Poisson regression with robust variance. Subsequently, the relationship (expressed in rates) of these diseases with equity indicators was assessed through Pearson’s correlation test. Results: among the 1,204,767 hospitalized cases with comorbidities, 52.7% had cardiovascular diseases. There was an almost perfect inverse correlation (r = -0.9521) between the mean values of the Social Vulnerability Index and the outcome, whereas the mean values of the Human Development Index showed a direct correlation (r = 0.7636). Conclusion: the high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases is correlated with equity indicators in specific population strata of those hospitalized for COVID-19. Contributions to practice: the results can support practices that consider healthcare needs and the specific aspects of highly vulnerable population groups.