Overview of acute diarrheal disease at the dawn of the 21st century: The case of Mexico

Salud Publica Mex. 2020 Jan-Feb;62(1):14-24. doi: 10.21149/9954.

Abstract

Objective: To provide an overview of morbidity and mortality due to acute diarrheal disease in Mexico in order to understand its magnitude, distribution, and evolution from 2000 to 2016.

Materials and methods: We carried out a longitudinal ecological study with secondary sources of information. We used data from epidemiological surveillance, health services, and vital statistics. We calculated and mapped measures of utilization of health services rates and mortality due to diarrheal diseases.

Results: Diarrhea morbidity decreased by 42.1% across the period. However, emergency department attendances increased by 50.7% in the Ministry of Health. The hospitalization rate and mortality among the general population decreased by 37.6 and 39.7%, respectively, and the infant mortality rate decreased by 72.3% among children under five years of age. Chiapas and Oaxaca had the highest mortality among the states of Mexico.

Conclusions: Cases of diarrhea, including rotavirus, have decreased in Mexico. However, in 2016, 3.4 per 100 000 people died due to diarrhea, which could have been avoided with health promotion.

Objetivo: Ofrecer un panorama de la morbimortalidad por enfermedad diarreica aguda (EDA) entre 2000 y 2016 en México, para entender su magnitud, distribución y evolución.

Material y métodos: Estudio ecológico longitudinal, con fuentes de información secundarias. Se analizaron datos de vigilancia epidemiológica, prestación de servicios y estadísticas vitales. Se calcularon tasas de utilización de servicios y mortalidad.

Resultados: La morbilidad por EDA disminuyó 42.1% en el periodo, sin embargo, la atención por urgencias aumentó 50.7% en SS. La tasa de hospitalización descendió 37.6% y la mortalidad 39.7% en población general y 72.3% en menores de cinco años. Chiapas y Oaxaca fueron los estados con mayor tasa de mortalidad.

Conclusiones: Los casos de diarrea, incluyendo los de rotavirus, han disminuido en el país. Sin embargo, en 2016 se encontró una tasa de 3.4 por 100 000 personas que mueren por EDA, lo cual podría evitarse con promoción de la salud.

Keywords: Mexico; communicable diseases; diarrhea; morbidity; mortality; rotavirus; spatial analysis.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Acute Disease
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Ambulatory Care / statistics & numerical data
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Diarrhea / epidemiology*
  • Diarrhea / mortality
  • Emergency Medical Services / statistics & numerical data
  • Female
  • Health Services Needs and Demand / statistics & numerical data*
  • Hospitalization / statistics & numerical data
  • Hospitalization / trends
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Mexico / epidemiology
  • Middle Aged
  • Morbidity
  • Population Surveillance
  • Space-Time Clustering
  • Young Adult