Revista Brasileira de Saúde Materno Infantil · Published 2026-01-01 · DOI 10.1590/1806-930420260s100125-en
Abstract Objectives: to identify the epidemiological characteristics of maternal deaths associated with COVID-19 in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, between 2020 and 2022. Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted using secondary data from the Mortality Information System. A total of 854 maternal deaths were analyzed and classified according to the presence (n=288) or absence (n=566) of COVID-19. Sociodemographic characteristics, timing of death and associated causes were compared. Prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated using Poisson regression with robust variance. Results: the maternal mortality ratio peaked at 65.7 per 100,000 live births in 2021, compared to approximately 43.5 during the pre-pandemic period. Among COVID-19-related maternal deaths, 82.2% occurred during the postpartum period (PR=2.14; 95%CI=1.64-2.80). Higher prevalence was observed among women with ≥12 years of formal education (PR=1.57; 95%CI=1.11-2.22) and those with a partner (PR=1.39; 95%CI=1.14-1.69). Most COVID-19-related deaths had no associated obstetric causes (PR=0.33; 95%CI=0.25-0.44); however, gestational diabetes was an aggravating factor (PR=1.51; 95%CI=1.06-2.10). Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased maternal mortality, with greater impact during the postpartum period, underscoring the need for enhanced postpartum surveillance.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
Read the article at the publisher →