Hospitalisation of adults with Down syndrome: lesson from a 10-year experience from a community hospital

Life expectancy of individuals with Down syndrome (DS) has improved significantly over the past decades. However, there are sparse data documenting the co-morbidities and hospitalisation of adult patients with DS in the literature. The aim of this study was to characterise the co-morbidities and pattern of hospitalisation in adult patients with DS during a 10-year period at the community hospital as well as to compare hospitalisation parameters with the general adult population during the same years.

We reviewed the medical records of 81 hospitalisations from 37 patients with DS aged 21 to 68 years at Metrowest Medical Center during a 10-year period and compared with those of the general adult population during the same time. Co-morbidities were also described.

Adults with DS had a mean age at admission of 48.6 ± 8.8 years with the median length of stay of 3 days (interquartile range 4 days). Male patients were hospitalised longer than female patients (mean 5.0 vs. 2.8 days; P < 0.05), and patients who lived at home were admitted at earlier ages than those who came from residential healthcare facility (mean 41.5 vs. 52.2 years; P < 0.001). The most common cause of hospitalisation was pneumonia/aspiration syndrome (29.6%), and the most common co-morbidity was gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)/dysphagia (70.3%). Presence of GERD/dysphagia or seizure disorder was significantly associated with multiple admission and readmission within 1 month (P < 0.05). The mortality rate was 4.9%, and the rate of intensive care unit admission was 8.6%.

Our cohort did not show statistically significant different hospitalisation parameters such as inpatient mortality and average length of stay when compared with general adult population hospitalised at the same years. The care of adult patients with DS presents challenges in internal medicine due to its unique co-morbid profile and signifies the importance of multidisciplinary approach. In order to improve the care of this patient population, their co-morbidities, particularly GERD/dysphagia and seizure disorder, should be optimally managed and comprehensively addressed when patients are hospitalised.