The incidence of hospitalizations for pulmonary hypertension among children has doubled from 1997 to 2012 with associated costs growing to $3.12 billion.
Although pulmonary hypertension (PH) among children remains relatively rare, the incidence of hospitalizations for the condition doubled over 15 years with hospital charges skyrocketing, according to a study published in Pediatrics.
The researchers, from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, studied the Kids Inpatient Database and determined that while children with PH accounted for just 0.13% of the 43 million pediatric hospitalizations in the US between 1997 and 2012, there was an increasing trend and charges for these hospitalizations grew from $926 million in 1997 to $3.12 billion in 2012.
“That there’s a growing population of pediatric pulmonary hypertension patients is something that we suspected but actually having the data to back it up will be important for resource allocation and promoting the best multidisciplinary care for these medically fragile patients,” Melanie K. Nies, MD, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said in a statement.
She added that the reason for the increasing trend of hospitalization for pediatric patients with PH is not clear, but she surmised that better recognition of PH may be one cause. Although the condition has historically been associated in children mostly with congenital heart disease, that is no longer the case. The majority of children with PH (56.4%) did not have congenital heart disease.
In addition, while mortality remains high at 5.9%, it has decreased from 11.3% of hospitalizations in 1997.
“Shifts in case mix toward PH not associated with [congenital heart disease], toward noncardiac procedures, and toward care in urban teaching hospitals will increase pressure to manage resource utilization in this small but growing patient group and to improve expertise and define excellence in PH care across a wide range of clinical settings,” the authors concluded.
Real-World Study Reveals Key Insights into DLBCL Treatment Patterns, Outcomes
April 18th 2024A recent study offers valuable insights into the characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in patients across different lines of therapy, providing a look into the landscape of DLBCL management.
Read More
Overcoming Employment Barriers for Lasting Social Impact: Freedom House 2.0 and Pathways to Work
April 16th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our second episode, in which we learn all about Freedom House 2.0 and the Pathways to Work program.
Listen
Gene, Light Therapy Combo Shows Promise Against Prostate Cancer Cells in Proof-of-Concept Study
April 18th 2024In their preclinical model, the researchers found efficacy both in vitro and in vivo by using CRISPR-Cas9 to mimic porphyria and combining the technology with light therapy.
Read More
Making Giant Strides in Maternity Health Through Baby Steps
April 9th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are kicking off a special month-long podcast series with our strategic alliance partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our first episode, which is all about the Baby Steps Maternity Program and its mission to support women throughout every step of their pregnancy journey.
Listen
Collecting SDOH Data Can Assess Risk of Medical Nonadherence, Improve HEI and Star Ratings
April 18th 2024At the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2024 annual meeting, a panel of presenters explored changes coming to Medicare that incorporate social determinants of health (SDOH) data to improve patient and health system outcomes.
Read More