by Elana Gotkine

In 2020 to 2021, the emergency department visit rate was 72.2 visits per 1,000 adults with diabetes, with the rate increasing with age, according to a December data brief published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics.

Loredana Santo, M.D., M.P.H., from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, and colleagues used data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey to describe emergency department visits made by adults with diabetes.

The researchers found that the emergency department visit rate by adults with diabetes was 72.2 per 1,000 adults in 2020 to 2021, and the rate increased with age. The highest emergency department visit rates by adults with diabetes were seen among Black non-Hispanic people (136.6 per 1,000 adults per year) and were higher among white non-Hispanic than Hispanic individuals (69.9 versus 52.3 visits per 1,000 adults per year).

For adults with diabetes and two to four chronic conditions, the emergency department visit rate was 541.4 per 1,000 adults per year in 2020 to 2021 and increased with age. For adults with diabetes, there was an increase seen in emergency department visit rates from 48.6 to 74.9 visits per 1,000 adults in 2012 and 2021, respectively.

"From 2012 through 2021, emergency department visit rates among all adults with diabetes increased, as well as among adults age 45 and older," the authors write. "Among adults ages 18 to 44, emergency department visit rates increased during 2012 to 2016 and then remained stable during 2016 to 2021."

More information: NCHS Data Brief

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