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The U.S. hospitalization rate for pediatric cholelithiasis experienced a significant 30% reduction from 2006 to 2019, with a notable decline among female patients and teenagers, and a rise in preference for freestanding children’s hospitals.

The following is a summary of “Pediatric Cholelithiasis in the United States: National Hospitalization Trends, 2006 to 2019,” published in the December 2023 issue of Pediatrics by Agawu, et al.

For a study, researchers sought to explore recent trends in hospitalization rates for pediatric cholelithiasis, given the existing knowledge suggesting an upward trajectory in previous years.

A retrospective repeated cross-sectional analysis was undertaken focusing on pediatric (under 18 years of age) hospitalizations linked with cholelithiasis. Data spanning from 2006 to 2019 were collated from the Kids’ Inpatient Database releases. The pivotal metric assessed was the national hospitalization rate, elucidated per 100,000 children. Furthermore, this study categorized rates by age cohorts and gender while delving into hospitalization outcomes and associated characteristics for this pediatric condition.

A comprehensive review of 29,102 hospital records spotlighted 42,282 hospitalizations related to gallstones. Remarkably, the hospitalization rate exhibited a descent from 12.9 (95% CI: 12.6–13.2) in 2006 to 9.1 (95% CI: 8.8–9.3) in 2019. Predominantly, teenagers (71%) and females (72%) constituted most of these hospitalizations, echoing prior literature. A noteworthy shift was observed in the care setting, with a marked rise in hospitalizations at freestanding children’s hospitals, escalating from 18.2% to 35.1%. Additionally, there was a discernible uptick in hospitalizations linked with potential medical predisposing conditions.

Over the examined period from 2006 to 2019, there was a notable 30% reduction in the U.S. hospitalization rate for pediatric cholelithiasis. The most significant decline was observed among female patients and teenagers, and a burgeoning trend was the increasing preference for freestanding children’s hospitals for such hospitalizations. These shifts might be attributed to modifications in care delivery paradigms or alterations in the disease prevalence within the population.

Source: journals.lww.com/jpgn/abstract/2023/12000/pediatric_cholelithiasis_in_the_united_states_.13.aspx