Impacts and complications of Dengue in Brazil: clinical and epidemiological perspectives

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the clinical and epidemiological profile of patients hospitalized with severe dengue in Brazil from 2021 to 2026. This is an epidemiological, cross-sectional, and retrospective research based on data from the Hospital Information System (SIH/SUS). The results demonstrated that the Southeast region is the national epicenter of the disease, concentrating the highest volume of hospitalizations and 44% of mortality from dengue hemorrhagic fever. A gender paradox was evident: although women make up the vast majority of admissions, the consolidated lethality rate was higher in men (53.3%), suggesting a delay in seeking primary care. The peak of hospitalizations occurred in adults aged 20 to 29 years; however, clinical severity and healthcare impact were alarming at the extremes of age, especially in elderly individuals with previous comorbidities. Furthermore, 95.8% of admissions occurred on an emergency basis, reflecting rapid hemodynamic deterioration during the transition to the critical phase. It is concluded that mitigating the lethality of severe dengue requires early identification of warning signs, immediate fluid management, and improvement of prevention and vaccination policies.