The influence of the Covid-19 Pandemic on maternal mortality in São Paulo

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Maternal mortality cases have been increasing over the years in
Brazil, with regional inequalities significantly influencing the number of occurrences.
Additionally, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic began, which directed a large portion
of public health services to contain the virus transmission, leading to a decrease in
the number of prenatal consultations. OBJECTIVE: To understand the
epidemiological profile of maternal mortality in São Paulo from 2017 to 2021,
highlighting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal mortality rate.
METHODOLOGY: This a longitudinal research based upon epidemiologic data and
was conducted using the TabNET electronic database, limited to the years 2017 to
2021. Pre-defined aspects of interest to the study were selected - the number of
maternal deaths per month in the state of São Paulo. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:
There was no statistically significant difference in maternal mortality between the
analyzed years and months. However, of the total maternal deaths (26.5%) in the
analyzed years, 2021 had the highest percentage of maternal mortality compared to
the other 4 years analyzed by this study, followed by 2017 (20.19%), 2020 (19.26%),
2018 (17.58%), and 2019 (16.42%). CONCLUSION: Despite the expected increase,
the data did not show a significant rise in the subsequent years.