Inpatient treatment of acute diverticulitis between 2010 and 2021 – A German nationwide study about long‐term trends and effects of the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic

Abstract

AimThe aims of this study were to analyse all hospitalizations for acute diverticulitis in Germany from 2010 to 2021 and to assess the effects of the first 2 years of the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic on hospitalizations for acute diverticulitis.MethodUsing data from the German Federal Statistical Office, we analysed fully anonymized healthcare data of hospitalizations and treatment regimens with acute diverticulitis as the main diagnosis between 2010 and 2021. Logistic regression analyses for in‐hospital mortality were performed.ResultsA total of 608,162 hospitalizations were included. While the number of hospitalizations constantly increased until 2019 (+52.4%), a relative decrease of 10.1% was observed between 2019 and 2020, followed by stable numbers of hospitalizations in 2021 (+1.1% compared with 2020). In‐hospital mortality showed a relative decrease of 33.2% until 2019 and thereafter a relative increase of 26.9% in 2020 and of 7.5% in 2021. A 21.6% and a 19.3% drop in hospitalizations was observed during the first and second waves of the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic, mostly affecting hospitalizations for uncomplicated diverticulitis, with a corresponding 11.6% and 16.8% increase in admissions for complicated diverticulitis. Multivariable logistic regression analyses showed significantly higher in‐hospital mortality for hospitalizations in which surgery (OR = 2.76) and CT (OR = 1.32) were given, as well as lower mortality for women (OR = 0.88), whereas percutaneous drainage was not associated with higher in‐hospital mortality compared with conservative treatment (OR = 0.71).ConclusionThis study points out the long‐term trends in inpatient treatment for acute diverticulitis and the in‐hospital mortality risk factors of patients hospitalized for acute diverticulitis in a large nationwide cohort, as well as changes in these trends and factors resulting from the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic. These changes might be attributable to delayed diagnosis and thus more severe stages of disease as a result of containment measures.