Racial Differences in Non-variceal Upper Gastrointestinal (GI) Bleeding: A Nationwide Study

Background and aims Knowledge about the impact of race on non-variceal upper GI bleeding (NVUGIB) is limited. This study explored the racial differences in the etiology and outcome of NVUGIB. Methods We conducted a study from 2009 to 2014 using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. NIS is the largest publicly available all-payer inpatient database in the USA with more than seven million hospital stays each year. The International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes for NVUGIB, esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and demographics were obtained. The outcomes of interest were in-hospital mortality, hospital length of stay (HLOS), total hospital charges, admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), and patient disposition. Analysis was conducted using Chi-square tests and Tukey multiple comparisons between groups. Results Among 1,082,516 patients with NVUGIB, African American and Native Americans had the highest proportions of hemorrhagic gastritis/duodenitis (8.2% and 4.2%, respectively) and Mallory-Weiss bleeding (10.4% and 5.4%, respectively; p<0.01). African Americans were less likely to get an EGD done within 24 hours of admission compared to Whites and Latinxs (45.9% vs 50.1% and 50.4%, respectively; p<0.001). In-hospital mortality was similar among African Americans, Latinxs, and Whites (5.8% vs 5.6% vs 5.9%, respectively; p=0.175). Asian/Pacific Islanders and African Americans were more likely to be admitted to the ICU (9.6% and 9.0%, respectively; p<0.001). Moreover, African Americans had a longer HLOS compared to Latinxs and Whites (7.5 vs 6.5 and 6.4 days, respectively; p<0.001). Conversely, Asian/Pacific Islanders and Latinx incurred the highest hospital total charges compared to African Americans and Whites ($81,821 and $69,267 vs $61,484 and $53,767, respectively; p<0.001). Conclusion African Americans are less likely to receive EGD within 24 hours of admission and are more likely to be admitted to the ICU with prolonged hospital lengths of stay. Latinxs are more likely to be uninsured and incur the highest hospital costs.