Cystic Fibrosis: A Descriptive Analysis of Deaths in a Two-Decade Period in Brazil According to Age, Race, and Sex

Abstract

The diagnosis of cystic fibrosis has improved in the last few years due to greater access to diagnostic tools and the evolution of molecular biology; the knowledge obtained has contributed to the understanding of its death profile. In this context, an epidemiological study was developed focusing on deaths from cystic fibrosis in Brazil from 1996 to 2019. The data were collected from the Data-SUS (Unified National Health System Information Technology Department from Brazil). The epidemiological analysis included patients’ age groups, racial groups, and sex. In our data, between 1996 and 2019, Σ3050 deaths were recorded, totaling a ≅330% increase in the number of deaths resulting from cystic fibrosis. This fact might be related to a better diagnosis of the disease, mainly in patients from racial groups that are not commonly associated with cystic fibrosis, such as Black individuals, Hispanic or Latino (mixed individuals/Pardos) individuals, and American Indians (Indigenous peoples from Brazil). Regarding of race, the Σ of deaths was: nine (0.3%) in the American Indian group, 12 (0.4%) in the Asian group, 99 (3.6%) in the Black or African American group, 787 (28.6%) in the Hispanic or Latino group, and 1843 (67.0%) in the White group. The White group showed the highest prevalence of deaths, and the increase in mortality was ≅150 times in this group, while, in the Hispanic or Latino group, it was ≅75 times. Regarding sex, the numbers and percentage of deaths of both male (N = 1492; 48.9%) and female (N = 1557; 51.1%) patients were seen to be relatively close. As for age groups, the >60-year-old group presented the most significant results, with an increase of ≅60 times in the registered deaths. In conclusion, in Brazil, despite the number of deaths from cystic fibrosis being prevalent in the White group, it increased in all racial groups (Hispanic or Latino, Black or African American, American Indian, or Asian individuals) and was associated with older age.