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One in 10 With Substance Use Disorder Report Past-Year Hospitalizations

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on April 10, 2025.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, April 10, 2025 -- About one in 10 U.S. adults with substance use disorder (SUD) report past-year hospitalizations, according to a research letter published online April 1 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Eden Y. Bernstein, M.D., M.P.H., from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, and colleagues described the prevalence of hospitalizations among U.S. adults with SUD. Adults were classified into non-mutually exclusive groups by presence of any SUD, individual SUD, and two or more SUDs. The proportion and number of U.S. adults who reported hospitalizations was estimated for each group.

The researchers identified 60 million U.S. adults with SUD, of whom 5.8 million (9.7 percent) reported past-year hospitalizations. The proportion of hospitalized adults ranged from 7.3 to 23.6 percent among those with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD), respectively. Among adults with SUD, those with versus without past-year hospitalizations were more likely to be older and more likely to have two or more medical comorbid conditions. Hospitalized adults with AUD, cannabis use disorder, and tobacco use disorder were also more likely to have serious mental illness. Across all groups apart from AUD, hospitalized adults were less likely to be uninsured. Hospitalized adults with OUD were less likely to be non-Hispanic Black.

"Our findings highlight the potential for hospital-based SUD screening and treatment to meet the needs of this population," the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to AstraZeneca and Dimagi.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted April 2025

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