P0783PREVALENCE AND PROGNOSIS OF HYPERKALAEMIA IN PEOPLE HOSPITALISED WITH AND WITHOUT AKI

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew McLean ◽  
Corri Black ◽  
Angharad Marks ◽  
Simon Sawhney
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Admission ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Kidney Diseases ◽  
Close Observation ◽  
Icd 10 ◽  
Initial Hospital ◽  
Serial Serum ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Clinical Emergency

Abstract Background and Aims Hyperkalemia is a clinical emergency associated with kidney diseases and hospital mortality. It may be apparent on initial hospital presentation, or develop during the course of admission, and can occur in the context of AKI. The prevalence of hyperkalemia across these different presentations and contexts is not well described. No work has previously described whether the prognosis of hyperkalemia varies depending on timing of presentation, or on AKI status defined by KDIGO creatinine change biochemical criteria. Method We constructed a cohort of all adult residents in Grampian (North Scotland) admitted to hospital in 2012 (n=28462). We used a validated and replicated KDIGO based definition of AKI to identify AKI using serial serum creatinine values. We determined the presence of hyperkalemia (serum potassium >= 6 mEq/L) both on first blood test on presentation to hospital, and also during the course of hospital admission. We explored the outcome of 30 day mortality within subgroups of AKI status and timing of hyperkalemia. Covariates of interest included age, CKD, medications prescribed in the preceding 90 days and comorbidities (ICD-10 hospital episode codes). The relationship between hyperkalemia and 30 day mortality was determined using multivariable logistic regression. Results Of 28462 hospital admissions, 247 (0.9%) presented with hyperkalemia, whereas 560 (2.0%) had hyperkalemia during the course of hospital admission. Hyperkalemia was common in the presence of AKI (4.2% at hospital presentation, 9.3% during hospital admission and rising to 24.5% during AKI stage 3). Hyperkalemia was uncommon in the absence of AKI (0.3% and 0.7% respectively) (OR AKI vs no AKI 13.9, 11.6-16.6). Other factors associated with hyperkalemia were male gender (OR 1.5, 1.3-1.8), age >70 years (OR 2.4, 2.0-2.9), CKD based on eGFR or proteinuria (5.5, 4.6-6.5), diabetes (OR 3.4, 2.8-4.0), heart failure (OR 3.0, 2.4-3.7), RAAS blockers (OR 2.4, 2.0-2.9), trimethoprim containing antibiotics (OR 2.2, 1.7-2.8)), non-RAAS antihypertensives (OR 1.7, 1.4-2.0), but not NSAIDs (OR 0.9, 0.7-1.1). Hyperkalemia mortality (AKI vs no AKI) was 31% vs 29% when presenting at admission, or 34.3% vs 27.8% when occurring during hospital admission. Although absolute risks were similar irrespective of AKI, the excess relative mortality risk associated with hyperkalemia was lower for those with AKI (OR 2.7, 2.1-3.4) than those without AKI (OR 9.5, 6.8-13.2), which may be explained by a higher mortality for those with AKI even without hyperkalemia. Conclusion Hyperkalemia is associated with a high mortality even in the absence of AKI and irrespective of the timing of presentation. Management protocols should draw attention to this poor prognosis across all clinical contexts. As hyperkalemia usually occurs within the context of AKI, it should prompt clinicians to consider ongoing close observation for emerging AKI even when AKI is not yet evident on blood tests.

scholarly journals The Safety of Non-Transport Decisions Made by Ambulance Personnel: A Retrospective Study of Subsequent Hospital Admission and 30-Day Mortality

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kjersti Amundsen ◽  
Marie Svanes Elden ◽  
Lars Myrmel ◽  
Jörg Assmus ◽  
Audun Lange ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Retrospective Study ◽  
Hospital Admission ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Information Age ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Ambulance Personnel ◽  
Icd 10 ◽  
Health Trust ◽  
Reason For Admission ◽  
Mental And Behavioral Disorders

Abstract BackgroundAmbulance missions do not always result in the patient being transported to a doctor or hospital after evaluation at the scene by ambulance personnel. Sometimes a patient is discharged at the scene but should have been transported for further examination and treatment. In this study, we aimed to identify and describe this group, and to investigate subsequent hospital admission within 72 hours and 30-day mortality, which may indicate the safety of leaving a patient at the scene after examination. MethodThis retrospective study was carried out in the Bergen health trust in western Norway and included ambulance missions from 2018. For each mission, we recorded the patient’s demographic information (age, gender, time of day), initial reason for contacting the emergency medical service (EMS), hospital admissions after non-transport, and time of death if within 30 days, in addition to some other variables. ResultsAmong 33,183 included acute and urgent ambulance missions, 7.3% of the patients were discharged at the scene after evaluation by ambulance personnel. The median age in this group was 47 years (IQR 28–70 years), compared to 64 years (IQR 39–80 years) for all included missions. Following a non-transport decision, 4.8% of the patients were admitted to a public hospital within 72 hours (median age, 59 years; IQR 35–76 years), with mental and behavioral disorders (ICD-10 chapter V) being the most common reason for admission (24.8%). The 30-day mortality rate following non-transport mission was 2.4%. In this group, the median age was 83 years (IQR 73–90 years), and the most common reasons for contacting EMS were breathing difficulties or lung diseases (25.4%), and injuries or fractures (18.6%). ConclusionOur present analysis revealed low rates of hospital admission within 72 hours, and 30-day mortality, among patients left at the scene following evaluation by ambulance personnel. These findings do not suggest an unsafe rate of non-transport in the Bergen EMS. There remains a need for further evaluation of the factors involved in the decision not to transport a patient, and the safety of these decisions.

scholarly journals Visualisation and optimisation of alcohol-related hospital admissions ICD-10 codes in Welsh e-cohort data

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laszlo Trefan ◽  
Ashley Akbari ◽  
Jennifer Siân Morgan ◽  
Daniel Mark Farewell ◽  
David Fone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Admission ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Accurate Determination ◽  
Rate Sensitivity ◽  
Misclassification Rate ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Diagnostic Codes ◽  
Cohort Data ◽  
Icd 10 ◽  
Excessive Consumption

IntroductionThe excessive consumption of alcohol is detrimental to long term health and increases the likelihood of hospital admission. However, definitions of alcohol-related hospital admission vary, giving rise to uncertainty in the effect of alcohol on alcohol-related health care utilization. ObjectivesTo compare diagnostic codes on hospital admission and discharge and to determine the ideal combination of codes necessary for an accurate determination of alcohol-related hospital admission. MethodsRoutine population-linked e-cohort data were extracted from the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank containing all alcohol-related hospital admissions (n,= 92,553) from 2006 to 2011 in Wales, United Kingdom. The distributions of the diagnostic codes recorded at admission and discharge were compared. By calculating a misclassification rate (sensitivity-like measure) the appropriate number of coding fields to examine for alcohol-codes was established. ResultsThere was agreement between admission and discharge codes. When more than ten coding fields were used the misclassification rate was less than 1%. ConclusionWith the data at present and alcohol-related codes used, codes recorded at admission and discharge can be used equivalently to identify alcohol-related admissions. The appropriate number of coding fields to examine was established: fewer than ten is likely to lead to under-reporting of alcohol-related admissions. The methods developed here can be applied to other medical conditions that can be described using a certain set of diagnostic codes, each of which can be a known sole cause of the condition and recorded in multiple positions in e-cohort data.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Infection, Admission and Death Amongst People with Rare Autoimmune Rheumatic Disease in England. Results from the RECORDER Project

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Rutter ◽  
Peter C. Lanyon ◽  
Matthew J. Grainge ◽  
Richard Hubbard ◽  
Emily Peach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Death Certificate ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Population Data ◽  
List Type ◽  
Autoimmune Rheumatic Disease ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Testing Data ◽  
Icd 10 ◽  
Definition Of

AbstractObjectivesTo calculate the rates of COVID-19 infection and COVID-19-related death among people with rare autoimmune rheumatic diseases (RAIRD) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in England compared to the general population.MethodsWe used Hospital Episode Statistics to identify all people alive 01 March 2020 with ICD-10 codes for RAIRD from the whole population of England. We used linked national health records (demographic, death certificate, admissions and PCR testing data) to calculate rates of COVID-19 infection and death up to 31 July 2020. Our primary definition of COVID-19-related death was mention of COVID-19 on the death certificate. General population data from Public Health England and the Office for National Statistics were used for comparison. We also describe COVID-19-related hospital admissions and all-cause deaths.ResultsWe identified a cohort of 168,680 people with RAIRD, of whom 1874 (1.11%) had a positive COVID-19 PCR test. The age-standardised infection rate was 1.54 (95% CI 1.50-1.59) times higher than in the general population. 713 (0.42%) people with RAIRD died with COVID-19 on their death certificate and the age-sex-standardised mortality rate for COVID-19-related death was 2.41 (2.30 – 2.53) times higher than in the general population. There was no evidence of an increase in deaths from other causes in the RAIRD population.ConclusionsDuring the first wave of COVID-19 in England, people with RAIRD had a 54% increased risk of COVID-19 infection and more than twice the risk of COVID-19-related death compared to the general population. These increases were seen despite shielding policies.Key MessagesPeople with RAIRD were at increased risk of COVID-19 infection during the first wave.Compared to the general population, they had over twice the risk of COVID-19-related death.These increased risks were seen despite shielding policies in place in England.

RCVS: Symptoms, Incidence, and Resource Utilization in a Population-Based US Cohort

Neurology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 10.1212/WNL.0000000000012223
Author(s):  
Jessica Magid-Bernstein ◽  
Setareh Salehi Omran ◽  
Neal S. Parikh ◽  
Alexander E. Merkler ◽  
Babak Navi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Admission ◽  
Administrative Data ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Cerebrovascular Diseases ◽  
Cerebral Vasoconstriction ◽  
Icd 10 ◽  
Incidence Of Hospitalization ◽  
Age And Sex

Objective:To estimate the incidence of hospitalization for reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS), we identified RCVS-related hospital admissions across 11 U.S. states in 2016.Methods:We tested the validity of ICD-10 code I67.841 in 79 patients with hospital admissions for RCVS or other cerebrovascular diseases at one academic and one community hospital. After determining that this code had a sensitivity of 100% (95% CI, 82-100%) and a specificity of 90% (95% CI, 79-96%), we applied it to administrative data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project on all ED visits and hospital admissions. Age- and sex-standardized RCVS incidence was calculated using census data. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze associated diagnoses.Results:Across 5,067,250 hospital admissions in our administrative data, we identified 222 patients with a discharge diagnosis of RCVS in 2016. The estimated annual age- and sex-standardized incidence of RCVS hospitalization was 2.7 (95% CI, 2.4-3.1) cases per million adults. Many patients had concomitant neurologic diagnoses, including subarachnoid hemorrhage (37%), ischemic stroke (16%), and intracerebral hemorrhage (10%). In the 90 days before the index admission, 97 patients had an ED visit and 34 patients a hospital admission, most commonly for neurologic, psychiatric, and pregnancy-related diagnoses. Following discharge from the RCVS hospital admission, 58 patients had an ED visit and 31 had a hospital admission, most commonly for neurologic diagnoses.Conclusions:Using population-wide data, we estimated the age- and sex-standardized incidence of hospitalization for RCVS in U.S. adults as approximately 3 per million per year.

scholarly journals Has the incidence of empyema in Scottish children continued to increase beyond 2005?

2014 ◽  
Vol 100 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart Nath ◽  
Matt Thomas ◽  
David Spencer ◽  
Steve Turner
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Incidence Rate Ratio ◽  
Pneumococcal Vaccination ◽  
International Classification Of Diseases ◽  
Diagnostic Codes ◽  
Classification Of Diseases ◽  
Icd 10 ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Insight Into

BackgroundThe incidence of empyema increased dramatically in children during the 1990s and early 2000s. We investigated the relationship between changes in the incidence of childhood empyema in Scotland following the 2006 introduction of routine heptavalent conjugate pneumococcal vaccination (PCv-7) and the 2010 introduction of the 13-valent (PCV-13) vaccine.MethodsThis was a whole-population study of Scottish hospital admissions between 1981 and 2013 using ICD (International Classification of Diseases)-9 and ICD-10 diagnostic codes for empyema. The number of admissions for pneumonia and croup was also captured to give insight into secular trends in admissions with other related and unrelated respiratory presentations.ResultsThere were 217 admissions with empyema between 1981 and 2005 (mean incidence 9 cases/million/year) and 323 between 2006 and 2013 (mean incidence 47 cases/million/year), p<0.001. The introduction of conjugate vaccines in 2006 was associated with an overall increase in admissions for empyema of 2.0 (95% CI 1.4 to 2.8) per 100 000 children, however, the incidence rate ratio for empyema admission between 2010 and 2013 was lower relative to 2006–2009 (0.78 (95% CI 0.63 to 0.98)). Secular changes in pneumonia, but not croup, were comparable with those for empyema.ConclusionsThe incidence of empyema in Scottish children initially rose in children aged 1 to 9 years after the introduction of routine conjugate pneumococcal vaccination, however, empyema incidence has fallen since 2010 when the PCV-13 was introduced.

scholarly journals Evaluating ATC-ICD: Assessing the relationship between selected medication and diseases with machine learning

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadine Weibrecht ◽  
Florian Endel ◽  
Melanie Zechmeister
Keyword(s):  
Sick Leave ◽  
Kidney Diseases ◽  
Routine Data ◽  
Public Health Insurance ◽  
Icd 10 ◽  
Outpatient Sector ◽  
Hospital Stays ◽  
Low Dimensional ◽  
The Given ◽  
The Relationship

IntroductionCoded diagnoses (ICD-9, ICD-10) are only available in routine data of the Austrian Health-Care system in connection with sick leave or inpatient hospital stays. Therefore, they only cover a small part of the population. Coded diagnoses from the outpatient sector are not documented. The aim of the project is to estimate diagnoses based on filled prescriptions reimbursed by a public health insurance institution. The result is a model that can provide probable diagnoses (ICD-10 coding) based on individual medication (ATC coding). MethodsBeginning in 2008 / 2009, the project ATC->ICD-9 has been developed by means of a statistical procedure. Here, hospital and sick leave diagnoses, as well as data on received medication are used to determine assignment probabilities. In this project, we developed a new method to derive diagnoses from medications. Our method is based on the word2vec-algorithm: Patient histories are used as input phrases, so that low-dimensional embeddings of medications and diseases are learned. In the learned vector space, similar medications and diseases are close to each other. ResultsTo evaluate our model, we compute the vector representation for medications and look for nearby diseases. E.g., the closest diseases to typical diabetes medication are different kinds of diabetes and retina affections, while nearby gout medications, gout and kidney diseases are found. ConclusionFor the given examples, our model provides reasonable results. It does not only yield typical diseases to a medication, but also common secondary symptoms. This motivates to apply the model on further use cases. For example, given an anonymized list of patients, containing their medications, disease distributions of these patients can be computed.

scholarly journals Associations between gestational age at birth and infection-related hospital admission rates during childhood in England: Population-based record linkage study

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0257341
Author(s):  
Victoria Coathup ◽  
Claire Carson ◽  
Jennifer J. Kurinczuk ◽  
Alison J. Macfarlane ◽  
Elaine Boyle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Admission ◽  
Gestational Age ◽  
Respiratory Tract Infections ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Admission Rates ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
Gestational Age At Birth ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Age At Birth

Background Children born preterm (<37 completed weeks’ gestation) have a higher risk of infection-related morbidity than those born at term. However, few large, population-based studies have investigated the risk of infection in childhood across the full spectrum of gestational age. The objectives of this study were to explore the association between gestational age at birth and infection-related hospital admissions up to the age of 10 years, how infection-related hospital admission rates change throughout childhood, and whether being born small for gestational age (SGA) modifies this relationship. Methods and findings Using a population-based, record-linkage cohort study design, birth registrations, birth notifications and hospital admissions were linked using a deterministic algorithm. The study population included all live, singleton births occurring in NHS hospitals in England from January 2005 to December 2006 (n = 1,018,136). The primary outcome was all infection-related inpatient hospital admissions from birth to 10 years of age, death or study end (March 2015). The secondary outcome was the type of infection-related hospital admission, grouped into broad categories. Generalised estimating equations were used to estimate adjusted rate ratios (aRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each gestational age category (<28, 28–29, 30–31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41 and 42 weeks) and the models were repeated by age at admission (<1, 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, and 7–10 years). An interaction term was included in the model to test whether SGA status modified the relationship between gestational age and infection-related hospital admissions. Gestational age was strongly associated with rates of infection-related hospital admissions throughout childhood. Whilst the relationship attenuated over time, at 7–10 years of age those born before 40 weeks gestation were still significantly higher in comparison to those born at 40 weeks. Children born <28 weeks had an aRR of 6.53 (5.91–7.22) during infancy, declining to 3.16 (2.50–3.99) at ages 7–10 years, in comparison to those born at 40 weeks; whilst in children born at 38 weeks, the aRRs were 1·24 (1.21–1.27) and 1·18 (1.13–1.23), during infancy and aged 7–10 years, respectively. SGA status modified the effect of gestational age (interaction P<0.0001), with the highest rate among the children born at <28 weeks and SGA. Finally, study findings indicated that the associations with gestational age varied by subgroup of infection. Whilst upper respiratory tract infections were the most common type of infection experienced by children in this cohort, lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) (<28 weeks, aRR = 10.61(9.55–11.79)) and invasive bacterial infections (<28 weeks, aRR = 6.02 (4.56–7.95)) were the most strongly associated with gestational age at birth. Of LRTIs experienced, bronchiolitis (<28 weeks, aRR = 11.86 (10.20–13.80)), and pneumonia (<28 weeks, aRR = 9.49 (7.95–11.32)) were the most common causes. Conclusions Gestational age at birth was strongly associated with rates of infection-related hospital admissions during childhood and even children born a few weeks early remained at higher risk at 7–10 years of age. There was variation between clinical subgroups in the strength of relationships with gestational age. Effective infection prevention strategies should include focus on reducing the number and severity of LRTIs during early childhood.

scholarly journals Appropriateness of Hospital Admission for Emergency Department Patients with Bronchiolitis: Secondary Analysis (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gang Luo ◽  
Michael D Johnson ◽  
Flory L Nkoy ◽  
Shan He ◽  
Bryan L Stone
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Hospital Admission ◽  
Predictive Model ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Operational Definition ◽  
Emergency Department Visits ◽  
Threshold Values ◽  
Emergency Department Patients ◽  
Definition Of

BACKGROUND Bronchiolitis is the leading cause of hospitalization in children under 2 years of age. Each year in the United States, bronchiolitis results in 287,000 emergency department visits, 32%-40% of which end in hospitalization. Frequently, emergency department disposition decisions (to discharge or hospitalize) are made subjectively because of the lack of evidence and objective criteria for bronchiolitis management, leading to significant practice variation, wasted health care use, and suboptimal outcomes. At present, no operational definition of appropriate hospital admission for emergency department patients with bronchiolitis exists. Yet, such a definition is essential for assessing care quality and building a predictive model to guide and standardize disposition decisions. Our prior work provided a framework of such a definition using 2 concepts, one on safe versus unsafe discharge and another on necessary versus unnecessary hospitalization. OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to determine the 2 threshold values used in the 2 concepts, with 1 value per concept. METHODS Using Intermountain Healthcare data from 2005-2014, we examined distributions of several relevant attributes of emergency department visits by children under 2 years of age for bronchiolitis. Via a data-driven approach, we determined the 2 threshold values. RESULTS We completed the first operational definition of appropriate hospital admission for emergency department patients with bronchiolitis. Appropriate hospital admissions include actual admissions with exposure to major medical interventions for more than 6 hours, as well as actual emergency department discharges, followed by an emergency department return within 12 hours ending in admission for bronchiolitis. Based on the definition, 0.96% (221/23,125) of the emergency department discharges were deemed unsafe. Moreover, 14.36% (432/3008) of the hospital admissions from the emergency department were deemed unnecessary. CONCLUSIONS Our operational definition can define the prediction target for building a predictive model to guide and improve emergency department disposition decisions for bronchiolitis in the future.

scholarly journals Importance of proper initial treatment of moderate and major burns

2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 281-285
Author(s):  
Dejan Vulovic ◽  
Nenad Stepic
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Admission ◽  
Emergency Care ◽  
Initial Treatment ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Total Body Surface Area ◽  
Inhalation Injury ◽  
Wound Irrigation ◽  
Burn Treatment ◽  
Major Burn ◽  
Initial Hospital

Background/Aim. Burns are common injuries with frequency depending on human factors, development of protection, industry and traffic, eventual wars. Organized treatment of major burn injuries has tremendous medical, social and economic importance. The aim of this study was to analyze initial treatment of major and moderate burns, to compare it with the current recommendations and to signify the importance of organized management of burns. Methods. In a prospective study 547 adult patients with major burns were analyzed, covering a period of eight years, with the emphasis on the initial hospital admission and emergency care for burns greater than 10% of total body surface area (TBSA). Results. In the different groups of major burns, the percentage of hospital admission was: 81.5 in burns greater than 10% TBSA, 37.7 in burns of the functional areas, 54.5 in the III degree burns, 81.6 in electrical burns, 55.9 in chemical burns, 61.9 in inhalation injury, 41.0 in burns in patients with the greater risk and 100 in burns with a concomitant trauma. In the group of 145 patients with burns greater than 10% TBSA, intravenous fluids were given in 87 patients, analgesics in 45, corticosteroids in 29, antibiotics in 23 and oxygen administration in 14. In the same group, wound irrigation was done in 14.4%, removing of the clothing and shoes in 29.6%, elevation of the legs in 8.9% and prevention of hypothermia in 7.6% of the victims. There were no initial estimations of burn extent (percentage of a burn), notes about the patient and injury and tetanus immunizations. Conclusion. Based on these findings, it is concluded that there should be much more initial hospital admissions of major burns, and also, necessary steps in the emergency care of burns greater than 10% TBSA should be taken more frequently. On the other side, unnecessary or wrong steps should be avoided in the initial burn treatment.

scholarly journals Changing patterns of hospital admission for asthma, 1981–97

Thorax ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 56 (9) ◽  
pp. 687-690
Author(s):  
D S Morrison ◽  
P McLoone
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Admission ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Admission Rate ◽  
Hospital Admission Rate ◽  
Admission Rates ◽  
Lengths Of Stay ◽  
Icd 10 ◽  
Changing Patterns ◽  
Bed Days ◽  
Age And Sex

BACKGROUNDHospital admission rates for asthma have stopped rising in several countries. The aim of this study was to use linked hospital admission data to explore recent trends in asthma admissions in Scotland.METHODSLinked Scottish Morbidity Records (SMR1) for asthma (ICD-9 493 and ICD-10 J45–6) from 1981 to 1997 were used to describe rates of first admissions and readmissions by age and sex. As a measure of resource use, annual trends in bed days used were also explored by age and sex.RESULTSThere were 160 039 hospital admissions for asthma by 82 421 individuals in Scotland during the study period. The overall hospital admission rate increased by 122% (from 106.7 to 236.7 per 100 000 population) but this varied by sex, age, and admission type. First admissions rose by 70% from 73.2 per 100 000 in 1986 to 124.8 per 100 000 in 1997 while readmissions fell. Children (<15 years) experienced a decline in overall admissions after 1992 due to falls in both new admissions and readmissions. By 1997 the ratio of female to male admissions was 0.57 in children, but 1.50 above 14 years of age. Mean lengths of stay fell from 10.7 days to 3.7 days between 1981 and 1997 and bed days used showed little change except for a decline after 1992 in children.CONCLUSIONSAfter a period of increasing hospitalisation for asthma in Scotland, rates of admission among children have begun to fall but among adults admissions continue to rise.

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