Mortality profile of neurological diseases in Brazil’s Northeast region
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v14i12.50368Keywords:
Nervous System Diseases, Mortality, Ecological Studies, Health Information Systems.Abstract
Neurological diseases represent a substantial impact on public health systems worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income regions, where structural inequalities limit access to specialized care. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the mortality profile from nervous system diseases in the Northeast region of Brazil between 2000 and 2022, using data from the SIM/DATASUS system, contributing to the development of prevention strategies, the organization of the care network, and the reduction of health inequities. A total of 128,411 deaths were identified, with Bahia, Ceará, and Pernambuco presenting the highest proportions. Mortality occurred predominantly among men, individuals of mixed race, and people without formal education. Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, and cerebral palsy emerged as the main causes in different age groups. The results point to the need to strengthen epidemiological surveillance, improve health information systems, and implement neurological care policies aimed at reducing regional inequalities.
References
Abdul Jabbar, A. B. et al. (2024). Primary care physician density and mortality in the United States. J Natl Med Assoc, 116(5):600-606.
Aminoff, M. J. et al. (2006). Neurological disorders: public health challenges. World Health Organization.
Beghi, E. (2020). Inequalities in neurology: The burden of neurological disorders worldwide. Lancet Neurology, 19(4), 293–294.
Brasil. (2016). Resolução nº 510, de 07 de abril de 2016. Dispõe sobre normas aplicáveis a pesquisas em Ciências Humanas e Sociais. Conselho Nacional de Saúde (CNS). https://conselho.saude.gov.br/.
Brasil. (2025). Departamento de Informática do SUS (DATASUS). Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade (SIM). Ministério da Saúde. https://datasus.saude.gov.br/.
Cardoso, D.T. et al. (2024). Challenges to Schistosomiasis Control Program in Brazil: setbacks in the control program and critical analysis of the disease notification. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop, 57:e00409.
Chen, C. et al. (2025). Associations of Social, Behavioral, and Clinical Factors With Sex Differences in Stroke Recurrence and Poststroke Mortality. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes, 18(2):e011082.
Chauhan, S. et al. (2024). Burden of neurologic diseases in BRICS countries (1990 to 2021): an analysis of 2021 Global Burden of Disease Study. Front Neurol, 15:1500551.
Courtenay, W., Nguyen, H. T., & Saadatmand, Y. (2020). Men’s health disparities: The social determinants of health. American Journal of Men’s Health, 14(4), 1–11.
França, E. B., et al. (2022). Socioeconomic inequalities and neurological disease burden in Brazil. Revista de Saúde Pública, 56, 1–12.
GBD Neurology Collaborators. (2019). Global, regional, and national burden of neurological disorders, 1990–2016. Lancet Neurol.
GBD Parkinson’s Disease Collaborators. (2018). Global burden of Parkinson’s disease, 1990–2016. Lancet Neurol.
GBD Neurology Collaborators. (2021). Global burden of neurological disorders, 1990–2019. Lancet Neurology, 20(11), 918–934.
GBD Epilepsy Collaborators. (2025). Global, regional, and national burden of epilepsy, 1990-2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Lancet Public Health, 10(3):e203-e227.
Guedes, G. R., et al. (2020). Quality of mortality data in Brazil: Current challenges and policy implications. Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 36(3), e00012319.
Guo, J. et al. (2025). The disease burden, risk factors and future predictions of Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia in Asia from 1990 to 2021. J Prev Alzheimers Dis, 12(5):100122.
Kalkonde Y, et al. (2022). Neurological care in low-income and middle-income countries: challenges and opportunities. Lancet Neurol.
Lima, E. E. C., et al. (2021). Improving mortality data in Brazil: Evaluation of SIM and strategies to reduce garbage codes. Population Health Metrics, 19(1), 1–12.
Lima, V. D. S. et al. (2024). Alzheimer's Disease Mortality Rate: Correlation with Socio-Economic and Environmental Factors. Toxics, 12(8):586.
Lotufo, P. A., & Bensenor, I. M. (2021). Stroke mortality and access to neurological care in Brazil. Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria, 79(4), 1–3.
Luna, M. A. et al. (2025) Baseline characterization of dementia cases from a reference center in Recife, Northeast Brazil. Dement Neuropsychol, 19:e20250385.
Marmot M & Allen J. (2014). Social determinants of health equity. Lancet.
Marmot, M. (2015). The health gap: The challenge of an unequal world. Lancet, 386(10011), 2442–2444.
Newton, C. R., & Garcia, H. H. (2017). Epilepsy in poor regions of the world. The Lancet, 380(9848), 1193–1201. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61381-7
Nichols, E., et al. (2022). Global, regional, and national burden of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, 1990–2019. Lancet Neurology, 21(6), 509–522.
Oliveira, M. M. et al. (2020). Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade: importância, abrangência e limitações. Revista Brasileira de Epidemiologia, v. 23, supl. 1. https://www.scielo.br/j/rbepid/.
Paim J, Travassos C, et al. (2011). The Brazilian health system: history, advances, and challenges. Lancet.
Pereira, A. S. et al. (2018). Metodologia da pesquisa científica. (Free ebook). Santa Maria. Editora da UFSM.
Prince M, et al. (2020). The global impact of dementia 2019–2050. Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
Rasella D, et al. (2021). Mortality associated with lack of access to primary healthcare in Brazil: a nationwide cohort study. BMJ Global Health.
Ribeiro, A. L. P., et al. (2021). Social determinants and neurological health: Evidence from Brazil. Journal of Neurological Sciences, 427, 117–129.
Stringhini, S., et al. (2017). Socioeconomic status and mortality: Refining the role of behavioral and psychosocial factors. BMJ, 357, 2016.
Shitsuka, R. et al. (2014). Matemática fundamental para a tecnologia. (2ed). Editora Érica.
Turner, M. R., et al. (2021). Access to neurological care in low- and middle-income countries: Challenges and strategies. Brain, 144(7):1989–1996.
Vargas, A. et al. (2025). Mobile stroke unit treatment times and transport frequency in a suburban setting. Neurol Sci, 46(11):5879-5884.
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO). (1992). International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems – 10th Revision (ICD-10). Geneva: World Health Organization.
Yang, K. et al. (2024). Temporal trend and attributable risk factors of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias burden in China: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Alzheimers Dement, 20(11):7871-7884.
Zhang, C. et al. (2025). Burden of neurological disorders in China and its provinces, 1990-2021: Findings from the global burden of disease study 2021. Med, 6(8):100692.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Thiago Vaz de Andrade, Júlia Maria de Oliveira Santos, Luma Teles de Resende, Maria Fernanda Targino Hora, Maria Luiza Vasconcelos Montenegro, Luiz Gustavo de Andrade Costa e Silva, Mylenna Menezes Leite Nascimento, Luana Teles de Resende

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
