Outcomes in Hospitalizations for Patients Admitted With Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic State and Obesity: Analysis of National Inpatient Sample

Introduction: Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar Nonketotic Syndrome (HHS) is a highly lethal disease with an estimated mortality rate of up to 20%. Although mortality has decreased in recent years, its incidence has increased in the setting of a higher prevalence of underlying conditions that have been previously well described, such as uncontrolled diabetes, Obesity, and a high-carbohydrate diet. All these comorbidities usually overlap with acute complications such as infections or dehydration, which incite the onset of HHS. Currently, limited literature exists for the role of obesity in mortality, hospital stay, and other adverse outcomes in patients with HHS. It is important to know which underlying conditions truly affect outcomes for patients being treated for this condition so further studies can be done, and treatment optimized. Objective: We aim to prove if obesity plays a role in increasing mortality and secondary adverse outcomes in patients with HHS compared to non-obese patients. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2016 and 2017. 42,740 hospitalizations who had HHS as primary diagnosis were enrolled and further stratified based on the presence or absence of Obesity as a secondary diagnosis using ICD-10 codes. The primary outcome was inpatient mortality and secondary outcomes included length of hospital stay, total hospital charges, Sepsis, Septic Shock, Acute Kidney Injury (AKI), and Acute Respiratory Failure (ARF). Multivariate regression analysis was done to adjust for confounders. Results: Out of the 42 740 hospitalizations with HHS, 9,630 had Obesity. The in-hospital mortality for patients with HHS was 45 overall, out of which 45 patients had Obesity as a secondary diagnosis. Compared with patients without Obesity, non-obese patients had similar in-hospital mortality (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.39–1.52, p=0.45) when adjusted for patient and hospital characteristics. Patients with HHS and Obesity had similar lengths of hospital stay, total hospital charges, rate of Sepsis, Septic Shock, and ARF in comparison to patients without Obesity; however, non-obese patients had higher odds of developing AKI throughout hospitalization. Conclusion: Although it is known and described that being obese plays a significant role in the onset of diabetes, and consequently HHS, there is no statistically significant difference in mortality or most other adverse outcomes compared to patients that are not obese and develop HHS. Although being obese plays a major role in inciting HHS in the general population, there is no need for a different approach to treatment, and outcomes are similar to non-obese patients with HHS.