Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of hospitalizations due to puerperal mastitis and breast abscess in Brazil: an ecological study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29289/259453942025V35S1116Palavras-chave:
mastitis, puerperium, hospitalization, COVID-19Resumo
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospitalization patterns for puerperal
mastitis and breast abscess within the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). Methods: An ecological study was conducted using data from the Hospital Information System of the SUS (SIH/DATASUS). Hospitalizations due to postpartum
breast-related issues across Brazil’s five regions were analyzed monthly, with March 2020 set as the interruption point.
Data normality was assessed using a normalized Q-Q plot and a standardized residual histogram in R software, with a
significance level of 5% (p<0.05). Results: A total of 11,279 hospitalizations were analyzed, with incidence rates ranging
from 6 to 10 cases per 10,000 live births between 2018 and 2022. The Central-West region had the highest hospitalization
rates both pre- and post-pandemic, while the Northeast reported the lowest. A 3.35% decline in expected hospitalization
levels was observed after the pandemic in Brazil and in most regions. Conclusion: Hospitalization incidence for postpartum breast conditions varied by period and region. The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to a reduction in incidence
across most Brazilian regions
Downloads
Downloads
Publicado
Como Citar
Edição
Seção
Licença
Copyright (c) 2026 Leonardo Ribeiro Soares, Iana Mundim de Oliveira, George Oliveira Silva, Andre Mattar, Marcelo Antonini, Ruffo Freitas-Junior

Este trabalho está licenciado sob uma licença Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.




