INTRODUCTION: Respiratory diseases in elderly people have high morbidity and mortality levels and impacts on the social, economic and individual parameters. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate and compare in a temporal perspective the profile of hospital admissions and deaths from respiratory diseases in elderly people in the East Region and Vale do Aço, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. METHODS: Brazilian Health Ministry data regarding hospital admissions and deaths from respiratory diseases between 1998 and 2006 limited to individuals aged over 60 years were analyzed. RESULTS: The hospital admissions rates in East Region of Minas Gerais by respiratory disease were between 2.7 to 4.3 / 100 elderly people. In Vale do Aço, rates ranged from 4.3 to 5.9 / elderly people. Chronic obstructive respiratory disease and pneumonia were the major causes for hospital admission and deaths in both regions. The rate of pneumonia was increasing in the last years. A seasonal influence on hospital admissions was found in the months of May, June, July and August. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that studies should be conducted in small regions, so as to identify particularities of the profile of respiratory disease morbidity and mortality in elderly people to improve health care policy, and focus on additional preventive strategies.
Respiratory Tract Diseases; Hospitalization; Cause of Death; Epidemiology, Descriptive; Aged; Hospital admissions