Mortality and Years of Potential Life Lost Due to COVID-19 in Brazil
- PMID: 34300077
- PMCID: PMC8305074
- DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18147626
Mortality and Years of Potential Life Lost Due to COVID-19 in Brazil
Abstract
In November 2020, Brazil ranked third in the number of cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and second in the number of deaths due to the disease. We carried out a descriptive study of deaths, mortality rate, years of potential life lost (YPLL) and excess mortality due to COVID-19, based on SARS-CoV-2 records in SIVEP-Gripe (Ministry of Health of Brazil) from 16 February 2020, to 1 January 2021. In this period, there were 98,025 deaths from COVID-19 in Brazil. Men accounted for 60.5% of the estimated 1.2 million YPLLs. High YPLL averages showed prematurity of deaths. The population aged 45-64 years (both sexes) represented more than 50% of all YPLLs. Risk factors were present in 69.5% of deaths, with heart disease, diabetes and obesity representing the most prevalent comorbidities in both sexes. Indigenous people had the lowest number of deaths and the highest average YPLL. However, in indigenous people, pregnant women and mothers had an average YPLL of over 35 years. The excess mortality for Brazil was estimated at 122,914 deaths (9.2%). The results show that the social impacts of YPLL due to COVID-19 are different depending on gender, race and risk factors. YPLL and excess mortality can be used to guide the prioritization of health interventions, such as prioritization of vaccination, lockdowns, or distribution of facial masks for the most vulnerable populations.
Keywords: COVID-19; excess mortality; years of potential life lost.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Figures






Similar articles
-
Years of Potential Life Lost due to COVID-19 according to race/color and gender in Brazil between 2020 and 2021.Cien Saude Colet. 2024 Mar;29(3):e04702023. doi: 10.1590/1413-81232024293.04702023. Epub 2023 Oct 5. Cien Saude Colet. 2024. PMID: 38451643 English, Portuguese.
-
Years of potential life lost and productivity costs due to COVID-19 in Turkey: one yearly evaluation.Public Health. 2022 Feb;203:91-96. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2021.12.009. Epub 2021 Dec 11. Public Health. 2022. PMID: 35033739
-
Characteristics and outcomes of pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 infection and other severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) in Brazil from January to November 2020.Braz J Infect Dis. 2021 Sep-Oct;25(5):101620. doi: 10.1016/j.bjid.2021.101620. Epub 2021 Sep 14. Braz J Infect Dis. 2021. PMID: 34563490 Free PMC article.
-
Years of potential life lost and productivity losses from male urogenital cancer deaths--United States, 2004.Urology. 2010 Sep;76(3):528-35. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2010.04.030. Epub 2010 Jun 22. Urology. 2010. PMID: 20573389 Review.
-
COVID-19 - 6 million cases worldwide and an overview of the diagnosis in Brazil: a tragedy to be announced.Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2020 Oct;98(2):115113. doi: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2020.115113. Epub 2020 Jun 15. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2020. PMID: 32682217 Free PMC article. Review.
Cited by
-
Necrotizing Skin and Soft Tissue Infection after Gluteal Augmentation in a Perioperatively Asymptomatic COVID-19 Patient-Complications of the Post-Lockdown Era? A Case Report.Medicina (Kaunas). 2023 May 10;59(5):914. doi: 10.3390/medicina59050914. Medicina (Kaunas). 2023. PMID: 37241146 Free PMC article.
-
Mortality and Associated Factors in Patients with COVID-19: Cross-Sectional Study.Vaccines (Basel). 2022 Dec 28;11(1):71. doi: 10.3390/vaccines11010071. Vaccines (Basel). 2022. PMID: 36679916 Free PMC article.
-
COVID-19 Disease and Economic Burden to Healthcare Systems in Adults in Six Latin American Countries Before Nationwide Vaccination Program: Ministry of Health Database Assessment and Literature Review.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2025 Apr 24;22(5):669. doi: 10.3390/ijerph22050669. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2025. PMID: 40427786 Free PMC article.
-
Impact of Coronavirus Disease (COVID)-19 on the Indigenous Population of Brazil: A Systematic Review.J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2025 May 21. doi: 10.1007/s40615-025-02451-4. Online ahead of print. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2025. PMID: 40397375 Review.
-
Inequities in mortality and potential years of life lost (PYLL) in greater Santiago, Chile, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.Int J Equity Health. 2025 Jul 10;24(1):201. doi: 10.1186/s12939-025-02575-3. Int J Equity Health. 2025. PMID: 40640858 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Acter T., Uddin N., Das J., Akhter A., Choudhury T.R., Kim S. Evolution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: A global health emergency. Sci. Total Environ. 2020;730:138996. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138996. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
-
- Mofijur M., Fattah I.M.R., Alam M.A., Islam A.B.M.S., Ong H.C., Rahman S.M.A., Najafi G., Ahmed S.F., Uddin M.A., Mahlia T.M.I. Impact of COVID-19 on the social, economic, environmental and energy domains: Lessons learnt from a global pandemic. Sustain. Prod. Consum. 2021;26:343–359. doi: 10.1016/j.spc.2020.10.016. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical
Miscellaneous