Epidemiological profile of schistosomiasis in Brazil: an analysis based on public data from the last five years

Introduction: Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease, acquired mainly through contact with fresh water where there are snails infected with Schistosoma mansoni. According to the Ministry of Health, an estimated 1.5 million people live in endemic areas. It is therefore important to analyze the epidemiological profile in order to understand its distribution and evolution and to contribute to the country's public health strategies. Objectives: To analyze the epidemiological profile of schistosomiasis in Brazil over the last five years based on public data from the Unified Health System (SUS). Methods: This is an ecological and retrospective study based on the Notifiable Diseases Information System of the SUS Information Technology Department (SINAN/DATASUS) on the epidemiological profile of schistosomiasis in Brazil between January 2018 and December 2023. The variables used were: Year, Region, Clinical Form, Evolution, Sex, Color/race and Age Group. Approval from the Research Ethics Committee is not required, as this is public data, with no identification of participants. Results: Between 2018 and 2023, 17,794 confirmed cases of schistosomiasis were recorded in Brazil. The year with the lowest number of cases was 2020, 1,873 (10.5%), and the year with the highest number was 2018, 4, 219 (23.7%). In terms of region, the Southeast had the most positive cases, with 12,322 (69.2%), followed by the Northeast, 4,664 (26.2%), the North, 287 (1.6%), the Midwest, 275 (1.5%) and the South, 241 cases (1.3%). In terms of clinical form, the most relevant was intestinal, 8,960 (50.3%), followed by hepatosplenic, 959 (5.3%), hepatointestinal, 828 (4.6%), acute, 726 (4.0%), and 1,020 (5.7%). Regarding the progression of the disease, 9,687 (54.4%) were cured, 329 (1.8%) were not cured, 434 (2.4%) died from schistosomiasis and 7,150 (40.1%) had the “progression” field ignored. The most positive sex was male, with 10,783 (60.5%), and the least was female, with 7,009 (39.3%). With regard to color/race, the most registered was brown, 10,029 (56.3%), followed by white, 4,901 (27.5%), black, 1, 528 (8.5%), yellow, 181 (1.0%) and indigenous, 66 (0.3%). The age group with the highest number of notifications was 20 to 59 years, with 6,458 (36.2%) cases between 40 and 59 years and 5,558 (31.2%) between 20 and 39 years. Conclusion: Therefore, based on the above data, schistosomiasis is a relevant disease in Brazil, especially in the Southeast and Northeast regions, with the hepatosplenic form as the main clinical manifestation, cure as the main evolution of the disease and, in the epidemiological profile, male individuals, aged between 20 and 59 years and of brown color. It is therefore hoped that this study will make a significant contribution to more in-depth studies on the schistosomiasis scenario in Brazil and will be a step forward in the fight to reduce the incidence of the disease, increase access to healthcare and improve the prognosis for those affected.