Increasing rate of hospitalization for inflammatory bowel disease is an age-related effect: A Canadian Population Study.

Abstract

Background and aims: To understand trends in the risk of all-cause hospitalization for individuals with inflammatory bowel disease we explored age, period, and cohort effects in Canada.

Methods: Repeated cross-sectional survey data from the 2005-2014 Canadian Community Health Survey linked to the Discharge Abstract Database to capture the all-cause hospitalization within three years of entry into the study for eligible individuals. Random effects two-level models estimated fixed effects for age and random effects for time periods and birth cohorts on the risk of all-cause hospitalization within three years entry into the study.

Results: An estimated 197,000 individuals were eligible for study inclusion. From this, an estimated 70,140 all-cause hospitalizations occurred within three years post-entry into the study. The risk of hospitalization within three-years increased with age and across birth-cohorts, with older cohorts experiencing greater risks of hospitalization. A small temporal effect was identified for both inflammatory bowel disease groups. Within birth cohorts, the risk of hospitalization increased across ages for Crohn's disease, but in individuals with ulcerative colitis, the risk decreased across ages, except for the two oldest birth cohorts.

Conclusions: These data support the hypothesis that age effects are primarily responsible for increased risk of hospitalizations. As the prevalence of IBD continues to rise and age distribution of Canadians shifts towards an older-aged population, increasing the allocation of healthcare resources to prevent age-related risks of hospitalizations would be beneficial to reduce hospital burdens.