Identifying High-Risk Patients: Clinical and Demographic Characteristics Associated With Readmission in Adolescents Hospitalized for Eating Disorders.

Abstract

Purpose: Adolescents with eating disorders (EDs) are increasingly hospitalized in the United States and are at high risk for readmission for at least 1 year thereafter. We examined clinical and demographic factors associated with readmission in adolescents hospitalized for EDs between 2010 and 2024.

Methods: This study built upon a prior study evaluating trends in patient hospitalization for EDs. We used the PEDSnet database to pull data from eight children's hospitals on patients aged 12-21 years hospitalized for an ED and analyzed the group readmitted for the ED within 1 year of initial hospitalization. We analyzed which factors were associated with readmission, focusing on patient demographics and clinical characteristics.

Results: We assessed a cohort of 9,829 patients hospitalized between 2010 and 2024, of whom 7,505 were admitted once and 2,324 (23.6%) were readmitted within a year. Risk factors for readmission within a year included patients who were identified as female, had moderate or severe malnutrition, had anorexia nervosa, hypokalemia, bradycardia, and orthostatic hypotension (all p < .001). Patients with comorbidities of anxiety or depression (both with p < .05) and those with public insurance were also more likely to be readmitted (p < .001).

Discussion: Adolescents hospitalized for EDs are at high risk for readmission within 1 year. Certain clinical and demographic characteristics are associated with increased risk for 1-year readmission in patients with EDs. Future studies should evaluate the publicly insured cohort further to elucidate if additional factors are associated with these patients' increased risk.