Pneumonia hospitalization in Brazil from 2003 to 2007.

Objectives: In emerging countries, pneumonia is a leading cause of hospitalization and death, particularly among the youngest and oldest. This retrospective study aimed to quantify the incidence of hospitalization due to all-cause pneumonia (HDTP) and in-hospital case fatality rates (CFRs) in all age groups, in five administrative regions of Brazil.

Methods: The International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision coding for pneumonia (J12-J18) and an interactive web-based database of individuals covered by the Unified Health System in Brazil who were hospitalized from 2003 to 2007, were used to identify cases.