THU344 Pandemic Effect On National Hospitalizations For Acute Hyperglycemic Complications In Adults With Diabetes

Disclosure: E. Krishnaraju: None. A.I. Ilelaboye: None. P. Kanemo: None. U. Vardar: None. O. Bess: None. N. Baskaran: None. H. Shaka: None. Introduction: In 2020, The SARS-CoV-2 outbreak (COVID-19) was quickly classified as a pandemic, prompting a nationwide lockdown. Numerous studies have implicated patients with diabetes to have a higher susceptibility to the COVID-19 virus and more deleterious hospital outcomes. This study aims to describe the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on epidemiologic trends, and disparities in outcomes among hospitalizations with acute hyperglycemic complications (AHC). Methods: This was a retrospective study of the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 2016 to 2020. The NIS was searched for hospitalization of adults with AHCs. We defined AHC as hospitalizations with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in T1D and DKA and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state (HHS) in T2D. The admission rate for each calendar year was obtained as admissions per 100,000 adults hospitalized. We obtained the AHC admission rates per 100,000 adult hospitalizations during each calendar year in adults with T1D and T2D. We then compared the admission rate and in-hospital mortality rate in 2019 and 2020 to estimate the pandemic effect. This study also highlights disparities in outcomes of hospitalizations for AHC stratified by sex, race, income quartile, and hospital regions. Results: Pre-pandemic, there was a gradual increase in the number of hospitalizations for AHC in T1D. During the pandemic, there was a decrease in the AHC hospitalization rate per 100,000 admissions for T1D (577 vs 600). However, there was an increase in T2D (117 vs 125). There was no statistically significant difference observed in mortality in T1D (0.20 vs 0.23 p=0.419) and T2D (1.1 vs 0.8 p=0.098). There was also no difference in mortality after stratifying into gender, race, median household income, and hospital region. During the pandemic, COVID-19 was the principal diagnosis in 5.5% of those with AHC in T1D and 9.1% in those with AHC in T2D. However, COVID-19 was a comorbidity in about one in five and one in six mortalities associated with AHC in T1D and T2D respectively. Conclusion: We found that the pandemic had a reciprocal impact on the hospitalization rate for AHC in both T1D and T2D. This brings to light the sheer impact that the COVID pandemic has had and the complex variables that may affect glycemic control. It will be helpful to further stratify the variables that influence AHC hospitalizations to tailor treatment, improve glycemic control and minimize hospitalizations in the future. Presentation: Thursday, June 15, 2023