Impact of social distancing in response to COVID-19 on hospitalizations for laryngitis, tracheitis, otitis media, and mastoiditis in children aged 0 to 9 years in Brazil

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of social distancing resulting from COVID-19 in hospitalizations for infections of the upper airways (URTI), such as acute laryngitis, tracheitis, and otitis media in children aged 0 to 9 years in Brazil, considering that they share the same forms of transmission. METHODS: Data on hospitalizations for acute airway changes and their complications in children <9 years old were obtained from the Database of the Brazilian Department of Public Health Informatics for the period 2015 to 2020. These data were also analyzed by macroregions of Brazil (North, Northeast, Southeast, South, and Midwest). The effect of the social distancing strategy on the increase of acute laryngitis, tracheitis, otitis media, and mastitis, as absolute and relative reductions, was calculated by analyzing the annual calculation of 2015-2019 vs 2020. RESULTS: All the hospitalizations compared in the Unified Health System (SUS) for laryngitis and acute tracheitis and otitis media decreased, considering all states of Brazil. The largest reduction in hospitalization reduction was in the North, with -94% in 2015-2019 vs 2020 in cases of laryngitis and acute tracheitis, and in the Midwest, with - 85% in 2015-2019 vs 2020 in cases of otitis media. CONCLUSION: Hospitalizations for laryngitis, acute tracheitis, and acute otitis media in children <9 years old decreased between March and July 2020 in Brazil, when social distancing measures were adopted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.