IMPACTO DA PANDEMIA DE CORONAVÍRUS NOS CUIDADOS CARDIOVASCULARES NO BRASIL

The COVID-19 pandemic was an international public health emergency due to the high contagion potential of the virus, whose control measures included social distancing. In this context, it is worth questioning the situation of patients who require medical care for other diseases, such as cardiovasculares diseases. The objective of the study was to identify the impact of the pandemic on cardiovascular disease (CVD) care in Brazil in terms of hospitalizations and deaths. To this end, a narrative literature review was prepared with recent scientific articles published preferably between 2014 and 2024. The number of hospitalizations for CVD in the pandemic period was lower than the pre-pandemic period. The Northeast region stood out in the number of hospitalizations and deaths due to CVD, both in the pre- and during the pandemic period. Stroke and heart failure were the main direct causes of hospitalizations and deaths of patients with CVD in both periods, while deaths mainly affected patients over 80 years of age. Regarding gender, men were more affected than women and, in relation to geographic distribution, Bahia and Pernambuco were the most affected states. It can be concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted hospitalizations for CVDs, with a reduction in their number. The causes for this reduction are uncertain and studies must be carried out to define the impact of the pandemic.