Gender Difference in Clinical Conditions Among Hospitalized Adults with Myotonic Dystrophy

Introduction: In this study we examined gender differences in adult hospitalizations with myotonic dystrophy (DM).

Methods: From the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) 2010-2014, we identified 1,891 adult hospitalizations with a DM diagnosis and constructed a comparison group of hospitalizations without DM using propensity score matching. We calculated relative risk by gender for 44 clinical diagnoses that each accounted for at least 5% of DM hospitalizations.

Results: Hospitalizations with DM were longer (4.8 vs. 4.1 days, P < 0.0001) and more costly ($13,241 vs. $11,458, P < 0.0001) than those without DM. More than half (25 of 44) of the conditions co-occurring with DM hospitalizations did not differ in their relative risks by gender. For those that differed by gender, only 5 were specific to DM, compared with hospitalizations without DM.

Discussion: Our findings highlight the importance of comprehensive and coordinated care for DM rather than gender-oriented care in the inpatient setting. Muscle Nerve 59:348-353, 2019.