Introduction:

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic affected routine healthcare, especially for children, and it is important to understand its impact on relevant aspects such as nutritional status.

Objectives:

To evaluate and compare the characteristics of the epidemiological profile, nutritional status, and immunization, as established by the Expanded Program on Immunizations (EPI), before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic in children aged 0-2 years hospitalized in a pediatric ward between 2019 and 2022.

Materials and Methods:

This was an observational and descriptive cross-sectional study with an analytical component, using secondary data from the medical records of infants admitted to the Infant Ward of the Hospital de Clínicas between 2019 and 2022. Non-probability sampling of consecutive cases.

Results:

Respiratory infections were the main cause of hospitalization in 2019 (54.7%, n=106) and 2022 (53.8%, n=104), while in 2020-2021 (n=178), urinary tract infections (33.6%) and trauma or seizures (53.4%) were more frequent. Severe malnutrition was present in 13.4% (n=14) of cases in 2022, compared to 4.7% (n=5) in 2019 and 3.5% (n=2) in 2021 (Chi2 p= 0.02). The frequency of anemia was similar in the years studied. A progressive increase in cases of incomplete vaccination was observed between 2020 and 2022 (24.7%, 31.2%, and 30.8%, respectively) compared to 17% in 2019 (Chi2, p=0.01).

Conclusion:

During the pandemic, hospitalizations of children aged 0-2 years for respiratory illnesses were lower; in the immediate post-pandemic period, there was a higher number of cases of severe malnutrition.

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