Progressive Age-Related Increase in the Risk of Foreign Body Airway Obstruction: A Descriptive Study Based on LIFE Study Data.

BackgroundPrevious studies on foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO) have primarily focused on patients who received prehospital or emergency department care. The epidemiological features of FBAO in the broader population, including cases managed outside emergency departments, remain unknown. We aimed to determine the incidence and characteristics of clinically managed FBAO using Japanese medical claims data.MethodsThis retrospective observational study was conducted using claims data from public health insurance enrollees across 16 municipalities. FBAO cases were identified from April 2020 to March 2024. The age-stratified and age-adjusted incidence rates of FBAO were calculated using the number of publicly insured individuals in the participating municipalities as the denominator.ResultsDuring the four-year observation period, a total of 1,123 FBAO cases (median age: 84 years) were identified. There were 518 (46.1%) cases in cardiac arrest on arrival and 516 (45.9%) deaths in the same month as the FBAO event. Age-stratified analyses showed that FBAO incidence rates steadily increased with advancing age, with individuals aged ≥95 years exhibiting an approximately 17-fold higher incidence than those aged 65-69 years. The age-adjusted incidence rate was 6.68 per 100,000 person-years.ConclusionThis large-scale claims-based observational study indicated that the risk of FBAO occurrence is disproportionately high among individuals of advanced age, underscoring the need for FBAO prevention and management strategies targeting highly aged populations.