No national study has investigated the epidemiology of hereditary HHT in the US since incorporating the ICD-10 CM. The researchers did this study to analyze the epidemiology of HHT and determine the relationships between epistaxis. They also aimed to explore the other associated complications of this rare disease.
The present study focused on age, gender, region, the clinical setting of diagnosis, hospitalizations, and complications. Bivariate analyses were conducted to determine HHT patients’ likelihood of epistaxis enduring, which can be associated with life-threatening complications. Bivariate analyses help form a comparison to HHT patients without epistaxis during the study period.
HHT patients with epistaxis were 3.4 times more likely to experience pulmonary hemorrhage, 3.3 times more likely to have pulmonary emboli, 2.8 times more likely to experience cerebral hemorrhage, and 2.0 times more likely to have thrombosis during the study period.
The study concluded that our national study had provided the first incidence and prevalence rates of HHT in the United States since incorporating the ICD-10 CM. HHT patients with epistaxis require prompt multidisciplinary treatment of their condition due to their increased risk of life-threatening complications.
Reference: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1945892419886756
