OBJECTIVE:To analyze hospitalization rates due to ambulatory care-sensitive conditions. METHODS:The study used data from the Hospital Database of the Brazilian National Health System corresponding to the Federal District in the year of 2008. The main diagnosis for hospitalization was analyzed based on the International Classifi cation of Diseases, and absolute frequency, proportion and coeffi cient were calculated according to causes, age groups and sex. RESULTS:The ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSC) represented approximately 20% of the hospital admissions in the National Health System. The most frequent conditions were: gastroenteritis (2.4%), heart failure (2.3%), and kidney and urinary tract infection (2.1%). The following aspects were verifi ed: signifi cant hospitalization rates due to ACSC in the infant group (< 1 year of age), an important reduction in the following age groups (1 to 29 years), and a gradual increase until the more advanced ages. Compared to men, hospitalization rates were slightly higher among young women (20 to 29 years) and lower among women older than 49 years. CONCLUSIONS:Hospitalizations due to ACSC represented 19.5% of all hospital admissions in the Federal District (2008), and the main causes of hospitalizations were gastroenteritis, heart failure and kidney and urinary tract infection. The effectiveness of primary health care in preventing these events in the Federal District is discussed.

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