Objective This study evaluated trends and racial disparities in hospitalization, clinical outcomes, and resource utilization for diverticular disease (DD) between 2017 and 2020. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis using the NISdatabase from 1 January 2017 to 31 December2020to study hospitalizations for DD (CCSRcode: DIG013). Our primary outcomes were hospitalization rates, all-cause mortality, total charges, and length of stay. Secondary outcomes included in-hospital complicationsand discharge status. Outcomes were stratified by race and ethnicity (White, Black, Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islanders and Native Americans). Data were weighted and adjusted for clustering, stratification, and other relevant factors. The normality of the continuous data distribution was confirmed usingKolmogorov-Smirnov, and descriptive statistics were used to summarizevariables. Demographic characteristics were compared usingχ² and Student's t-test, with significance set at P<0.05. We usedstepwise multivariable logistic regressionto estimateadjusted odds ratios for studyoutcomes by race and ethnicity, controlling for demographic and clinical factorsand correcting for multicollinearity. Missing data were treated with multiple imputations, trend analyses were performed using Jonckheere-Terpstra tests, and costs were adjusted for inflation using the GDPprice index. Analyses were conducted with Stata 17MP. Results A total of 1,266,539 hospitalizations for DD were included for analysis. Approximately953,220 (75.3%) were White patients and 313,319 (24.7) did not belong to the White race. Atotal of 747,868 (59%) were women compared to 518,671 (41%) men. Compared to patients who were not of the White race, White patients were younger(63.5 vs. 66.8 years; p<0.001). Hospitalizations for DD increased by 1.2% from 323,764 to 327,770 hospitalizations (2017-2019) and decreased by 11.8% from 327,770 to 289,245 admissions in 2020. Mortality rates were higher among White patients than in those not of the White race (16,205 (1.7%) vs 5,013 (1.6%)).However, no significant difference was observed in mortality odds between both sets of patients (aOR, 0.953; 95% CI 0.881-1.032; P=0.237).Mortality rates showed an uptrend over the study period (4,850 (1.5%) in 2017 to 5,630 (1.9%) in 2020; Ptrend<0.001).DD accounted for 7,016,718 hospital days, 2,102,749 procedures, and US$ 6.8 billion in hospital costs. Mean hospital costs increased from US$54,705 to US$72,564 over the study period (P<0.000). Patients who were not of the White race incurred higher mean hospital charges than White patients ($67,635 ± $6,700 vs $59,103 ± $3,850; P<0.001). Black race correlated with lower odds of bowel perforation, routine home discharge, and bowel resection (P<0.001). Conclusion During the study period, hospitalization and mortality rates and resource utilization for DD increased. Patients from other racesincurred higher hospital costs than White patients. White Americans were more likely to be discharged to skilled nursing, intermediate care, and other facilities. Additionally, White patients were less likely to develop bowel abscesses compared to patients who were not White. Compared to White American patients, Black patients had fewer DD hospitalizations complicated by bowel perforations or requiring bowel resections. In contrast, DD admissions among Hispanic patients were more likely to require bowel resections than those among White American patients.
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