The trends and incidence of alcohol-associated hepatitis hospitalizations from 2016–2020 and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospitalizations for alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) is poorly understood. Here we explore AH trends from 2016 to 2020 and evaluate demographic disparities including sex and race.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of the 2016–2020 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample was performed to assess temporal trends in hospitalizations for AH. The 2020 dataset was evaluated to compare AH hospitalizations between those with and without an additional diagnosis of COVID-19.

Results

Included were 607 140 weighted inpatient AH discharges per 145,055,152 all-cause discharges from 2016 to 2020. AH hospitalizations increased at a rate of 23.4 hospitalizations per 100 000 all-cause discharges per year between 2016 and 2019 and increased to 113 hospitalizations per 100 000 all-cause discharges in 2020. Mortality was higher in females despite lower rates of hospitalization than males. The adjusted odds of hospitalization for AH in 2020 were higher than in 2016–2019 (aOR = 1.28, p < 0.001). The Hispanic population had greater odds of hospitalization with AH and COVID-19 compared to other races (aOR = 2.71, p < 0.001).

Discussion

Increased efforts toward primary prevention of excessive alcohol use and greater social support for those with alcohol use disorder are needed. More research is required to elucidate the racial disparities among the Hispanic population with AH and COVID-19.