Gastrointestinal hospitalization during COVID-19 pandemic in the United States: Analysis of a nationwide inpatient sample.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: We aim to systematically investigate gastrointestinal (GI) hospitalizations in the United States during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic on a national level and the consequence that may inform practice and policies.

METHODS

A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of adult hospitalizations with GI-related diagnoses or procedures in the United States in 2020 was used, with hospitalizations from 2016 to 2019 used for contextual information.

RESULTS

Hospitalizations with principal and secondary GI diagnoses decreased by 13.3% and 8.2% from 2019 to 2020, respectively. Most GI diagnoses decreased in 2020, with a few exceptions including alcoholic liver disease (increased by 7.8% as a principal diagnosis) and acute liver failure (increased by 11.6% as a secondary diagnosis). The mortality rate of hospitalizations with GI disease increased in 2020 compared with 2019 (for principal diagnosis: adjusted odds ratio 1.08, 95% confidence interval 1.03-1.13, P = 0.001; for secondary diagnosis: adjusted odds ratio 1.10, 95% confidence interval 1.07-1.13, P < 0.001). Most GI procedures decreased except for a notable 8.3% increase in gastrostomy. The per-GI-hospitalization rate of procedures increased for hospitalizations with a principal GI diagnosis (56.4% vs 55.6%, P = 0.003) or unchanged for hospitalizations with secondary GI diagnoses (18.3% vs 18.2%, P = 0.512).

CONCLUSION

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a decrease in the volume of GI hospitalizations and procedures in 2020, but there was an increase in the mortality rate and some specific diagnoses including alcoholic liver disease and acute liver failure. These findings will likely enlighten future research and healthcare resource allocation for GI diseases.