Nationwide epidemiological survey of childhood IgA vasculitis associated hospitalization in the USA

At the national level, IgA vasculitis-related hospitalizations among children in the USA are scarce. Furthermore, nationwide epidemiology and hospital course of children with IgA vasculitis have not been fully described in the USA, and disparities by race/ethnicity remain unknown. Hospital discharge records of patients aged 19 years or younger were obtained from the 2003, 2006, 2009, and 2012 Kids’ Inpatient Database, and they were weighted to estimate the annual hospitalization rates with respect to age, gender, and race/ethnicity in the USA. Annual hospitalization rates were calculated using weighted case estimates and US census data. Negative binomial regression was used to ascertain the factors associated with length of hospital stay. Total annual hospitalization rates showed a significant decreasing trend, ranging from 2.45 per 100,000 children in 2003 to 1.89 per 100,000 children in 2012 (p < 0.001). The peak ages of the hospitalized children with IgA vasculitis were 2 and 7 years, and male-to-female ratios were 1.38–1.44. Factors associated with length of hospital stay were patients’ ages (10–14 and 15–19 years), race/ethnicity (Hispanic, Asian, and Pacific Islander), comorbid electrolyte abnormality, GI hemorrhage, intussusception, renal symptoms, and GI symptoms. The annual hospitalization rates for IgA vasculitis are declining in the USA across multiple age groups. GI and renal manifestations are associated with increased length of hospital stay.