Sex, Hispanic ethnicity linked to increased rates of NAFLD-associated hospitalization
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Pediatric nonalcoholic fatty liver disease-associated hospitalizations increased over time with higher rates among Hispanic adolescent boys, according to study results.
“NAFLD in children is increasingly recognized as the most common form of pediatric chronic liver disease. Previous nationwide studies have shown increase in NAFLD-associated hospitalizations over time during period of 1986 to 2006,” Eric Dybbro, MD, of the department of pediatrics in the division of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at Baylor College of Medicine, and colleagues wrote. “Racial and ethnic differences in NAFLD prevalence have been demonstrated in geographically limited studies.”
To generate a current national analysis of NAFLD-associated hospitalization trends, researchers performed a cross-sectional study of pediatric patients aged 0 to 17 years from the National Inpatient Sample. They further compared NAFLD prevalence per 10,000 hospitalizations with data on comorbid conditions, sociodemographic characteristics and hospital factors. Joinpoint regression calculated temporal trends of NAFLD.
Analysis yielded an overall increase in pediatric NAFLD-associated hospitalizations (average annual percent change [AAPC] = 6.6) with higher rates among Hispanic patients compared with non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic Black patients (AAPC = 11.1 vs. 4.1 vs. 2.1, respectively). Characteristics associated with hospitalizations included adolescent age (10-14 years: 25.19/10,000 hospitalizations), male sex (4.97/10,000 hospitalizations) and Hispanic ethnicity (8.54/10,000 hospitalizations). Dybbro noted that West geographic region (OR = 1.66; 95% CI, 1.46-1.89) and large, urban teaching hospitals (OR = 3.13; 95% CI, 2.52-3.89) also are associated with higher rates of NAFLD-associated hospitalizations.
“We demonstrated significant increases in NAFLD-associated hospitalizations over time at a national level,” Dybbro and colleagues concluded. “Rates were seen to be higher in adolescent, male patients with highest burden noted in large, urban hospitals in the geographic South and West. Further studies investigating role of social/economic factors required. Our findings highlight the potential for targeted interventions aimed at high-risk groups.”