Epidemiological profile of hospitalizations for pulmonary tuberculosis in Minas Gerais between 2016 and 2025: A retrospective analysis

Abstract

Introduction: Pulmonary tuberculosis remains a significant public health issue, despite the availability of diagnostic methods, effective treatment, and prevention and control strategies. Hospitalizations related to the disease may reflect greater clinical severity, the presence of complications, delayed diagnosis, and difficulties regarding follow-up and treatment continuity, making the characterization of the epidemiological profile of hospitalized individuals relevant. Objective:To describe the epidemiological profile of hospitalizations for pulmonary tuberculosis in Minas Gerais between 2016 and 2025, considering the temporal distribution and the distribution of hospitalizations according to sociodemographic characteristics recorded in the SIH/SUS. Methods: This is an observational, descriptive, and retrospective epidemiological study with a quantitative approach, conducted using secondary data from the Unified Health System's Hospital Information System (SIH/SUS), made available by the Unified Health System's Department of Informatics (DATASUS). Hospitalizations for pulmonary tuberculosis recorded in the Hospital Information System of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SIH/SUS) in the state of Minas Gerais between January 2016 and December 2025 were analyzed. For operational purposes, hospitalizations classified according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes corresponding to respiratory tuberculosis (A15) were considered, in accordance with the grouping used for data extraction from DATASUS. The analysis included the variables year of processing, age group, race/skin color, and sex, totaling 8,396 hospitalizations during the study period. The data were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis using absolute and relative frequencies. Results: A total of 8,396 hospitalizations for pulmonary tuberculosis were recorded during the analyzed period, with fluctuations observed throughout the historical series. The lowest figure occurred in 2021, with 634 hospitalizations, while 2025 saw the highest number, with 971. Regarding age groups, the highest prevalence was among individuals aged 40 to 49 (2,011 hospitalizations), followed by the 30–39 age group (1,612) and the 50–59 age group (1,466). In terms of race/color, individuals of mixed race (*pardos*) showed the highest frequency, with 4,911 records. Regarding sex, a significant male predominance was observed, with 6,494 hospitalizations (77.35%) compared to 1,902 among women. The findings demonstrate that hospitalizations were concentrated primarily within the adult, mixed-race, and male populations, with higher numbers recorded in the more recent years of the series, underscoring the importance of epidemiological monitoring and strategies for early diagnosis and care. Conclusion: Hospitalizations for pulmonary tuberculosis in Minas Gerais showed variable trends between 2016 and 2025, with the highest frequency in the last year analyzed and a predominance among individuals aged 40 to 49, those of mixed race, and males. The results contribute to characterizing the groups most frequently hospitalized and reinforce the importance of epidemiological surveillance, early diagnosis, timely treatment, and continuity of care. It is noted that the findings should be interpreted considering the limitations inherent to secondary data from the SIH/SUS.