Acute viral bronchiolitis (AVB) and acute bronchitis are respiratory diseases with high prevalence in the state of Santa Catarina, which have contributed to the hospitalization of infants and children up to 9 years of age over the last 5 years. These conditions are often confused due to shared symptoms such as cough and wheezing. However, their presentation differs when considering affected age group, vector/agent, pathophysiology, and severity. AVB affects children under 2 years of age, is caused by Respiratory Syncytial Virus, involves terminal bronchioles, and is usually self-limited. In contrast, acute bronchitis is more prevalent in older children, and its etiology may include, for example, Influenza, affecting main and segmental bronchi, with symptoms persisting for up to 3 weeks. We aimed to identify and describe the epidemiology of hospitalizations for AVB and acute bronchitis in children aged 0 to 9 years over the five-year period from 2020 to 2024 in the state of Santa Catarina. This is an ecological study with a quantitative approach based on secondary data analysis from the Hospital Information System of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SIH/SUS), accessed through the Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System (DATASUS) platform for the period 2020 to 2024. AVB and acute bronchitis ranked second among diseases affecting children up to 9 years old in Santa Catarina, surpassed only by pneumonia. From 2020 to 2024, hospitalizations for these conditions accounted for approximately 31% of admissions due to respiratory diseases in the studied age group. In addition, in 2021 there was a marked increase of about 518% in hospital admissions compared to the previous year due to the Coronavirus pandemic. From 2022 to 2023, hospitalizations continued to rise, with a 35% increase in cases. However, from 2023 to 2024 a 5% decrease was identified. It was also inferred that 58% of total hospitalizations were among males. The findings indicate that, due to the relaxation of sanitary measures in the post-pandemic period, there was an increase in hospital admissions for the studied diseases, demonstrating the fragility of primary health care and health education actions.
Queiroz et al. (2026) studied this question.