Gastroparesis-Related Hospitalizations in the United States

Trends, Characteristics, and Outcomes, 1995–2004

Abstract

OBJECTIVES 

Gastroparesis is an increasingly recognized disorder. Its prevalence in the United States is unknown. We examined the trends, characteristics, and outcomes of gastroparesis-related hospitalizations during 1995–2004.

METHODS 

The publicly available Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) comprises a nationally representative sample of 5–8 million hospitalizations per year. Gastroparesis-related hospitalizations were identified using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9) code 536.3 and compared with other hospitalizations. Multivariate regressions were used to compare for differences in the outcomes including length of stay, total charges, and in-hospital deaths.

RESULTS 

Hospitalizations with gastroparesis as the primary diagnosis increased from 3,977 in 1995 to 10,252 in 2004 (+158%) and hospitalizations with gastroparesis as the secondary diagnosis increased from 56,726 to 134,146 (+136%). These compared to smaller changes in diabetes-related hospitalizations (+53%), all hospitalizations (+13%), and hospitalizations with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), gastric ulcer, gastritis, or nonspecific nausea/vomiting as the primary diagnosis (−3% to +76%). Of the five upper gastrointestinal conditions studied as the primary diagnosis, gastroparesis had the longest length of stay (+15.4% to +66.2%, all P < 0.001) and the highest or second highest total charges (−7.2% to +60.6%, all P < 0.01) in 2004, with similar results in 1995.

CONCLUSIONS 

The number of gastroparesis-related hospitalizations has been increasing in the United States, suggesting an increasing prevalence of gastroparesis. The economic impact of gastroparesis-related hospitalizations is significant and increasing.