Kenneth A. Michelson, Sriram Ramgopal
Gastroenteritis is a common cause of pediatric hospitalization. We sought to determine the national costs of pediatric gastroenteritis hospitalizations. We conducted a cross-sectional study of children under 18 years old hospitalized for gastroenteritis using the Kids Inpatient Database of 2016, 2019, and 2022. The outcome was inflation-adjusted cost using cost-to-charge ratios. We determined hospitalization counts, summarized costs, and constructed a linear regression model evaluating demographic features associated with cost. There were 127,630 hospitalizations in the 3 years, of which 69,379 (54.4%) hospitalizations occurred among children under 3 years old. National costs were $285 million in 2016, $276 million in 2019, and $305 million in 2022. Median (interquartile range) per-hospitalization costs were $4029 (2452-6997). Compared with no complex chronic conditions, having 1, 2, or ≥3 was associated with 48.2% (95% CI 45.2, 51.3), 111% (95% CI 104, 119), and 194% (95% CI 179, 209) higher adjusted costs. Gastroenteritis generates substantial hospitalization costs.