Repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on Maternal Mortality in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul

Abstract

The gestational period is characterized by physiological changes that lead to outcomes that evolve negatively. The COVID-19 pandemic had high death rates in women worldwide. This study aimed to analyze the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on the epidemiological profile of maternal mortality. This is a cross-sectional study comparing the previous (2018-2019) and initial periods of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021). Data were collected from the base of the Mato Grosso do Sul State Health Secretariat and analyzed in R-Studio. 118 maternal deaths were analyzed. 51 occurred between 2018-2019 and 67 between 2020-2021. The Maternal Mortality ratio increased from 57.97 to 80.25. Potential Years of Life Lost increased from 1774.41 to 2237.34. Postpartum women had high mortality rates. Respiratory disease had a prevalence ratio of 2.18 (CI=1.34-3.52) for the 2020-2021 period, when compared to 2018-2019. The results show the vulnerability of women in the puerperal pregnancy cycle to diseases with high contagion and high virulence, such as COVID-19. The expansion of access leads to the prevention of avoidable deaths, which trigger negative social and economic repercussions for the entire population.