Trends of hospitalization for anorexia nervosa in USA: A nationwide analysis

Objectives Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. While AN has been extensively studied in the past, the contemporary data for impact of AN on cost of hospitalization are largely lacking. Methods We queried the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's Nationwide Inpatient Sample (HCUP-NIS) dataset between 1998-2011 using the ICD-9 codes for AN. Severity of co-morbid conditions was defined by Deyo modification of Charlson co-morbidity index. Primary outcome was in-hospital mortality and secondary outcome was total charges for hospitalization. Using SAS 9.2, chi-square test, t-test and Cochran-Armitage test were used to test significance. Results 28,150 patients were analyzed. 93.94% were female and 6.06% were male ( P P P Conclusions While mortality has slightly decreased from 1998 to 2011, the cost has significantly increased from $145.33 million/year to $420.61 million/year, which leads to an estimated $275.28 million additional burden to the US health care system. In the era of cost conscious care, preventing AN related Hospitalization could save billions of dollars every year. Focused efforts are needed to establish preventive measures for AN related hospitalization.