Trends in Hospitalizations for Celiac Disease in the United States

Celiac disease is a severe autoimmune disease that results in patients having an intolerance to gluten. Patients that have celiac disease and ingest gluten can have gastrointestinal related adverse effects. There is currently no cure or treatment for celiac disease outside of a diet consisting of strict adherence to a 100% gluten free diet. However, adherence to a strict gluten free diet is difficult and patients may consume food that is cross-contaminated with gluten which can cause adverse effects that can lead to medical treatment or hospitalizations. Currently, there is only limited published data detailing hospitalizations for celiac disease in the United States. This study analyzed trends in hospitalizations for celiac disease in the United States by utilizing the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project net (HCUPnet) using the primary diagnosis code 579.0 celiac disease. The study analyzed total discharges, length of stay for hospitalizations from 1995-2014, as well as mean cost per hospitalizations from 2006-2014. Total number of hospital discharges for celiac disease was trending upward from 1995 to 2014 varied from a low of 391 discharges in 1996 to a high of 1405 in 2010. The mean length of stay varied from a high of 8.69 days in 1996 to a low of 4.88 days in 2014. The mean cost per hospitalization varied from a high of $11,510 in 2013 to a low of $9,247 in 2014. Until there is a cure or therapeutic treatments available, celiac disease will continue to cause hospitalizations and contribute to the cost of healthcare in the United States.