Why American Kids Go to Hospitals

March 24, 2006 -- Respiratory diseases such as asthma, pneumonia, and bronchitis are leading reasons why American kids go to hospitals.

Government data show that in 2003, more than 6.4 million kids aged 0-17 years were hospitalized. Normal births accounted for the vast majority of those cases.

Here are the top 10 U.S. hospital diagnoses for kids in 2003, along with hospital discharge numbers for each diagnosis:

1. Newborn infant delivery: 3,918,129
2. Asthma: 165,755
3. Pneumonia: 162,891
4. Acute bronchitis: 153,745
5. Fluid and electrolyte disorders (mainly dehydration and fluid overload): 119,702
6. Appendicitis: 80,563
7. Affective or mood disorders (depression and bipolar disorder): 78,975
8. Other conditions occurring around the time of birth: 68,432
9. Epilepsy, convulsions: 67,777
10. Other infections of the upper respiratory tract (nose, throat, trachea): 55,468

Further down on the list were intestinal infections (in 15th place with 40,165 cases), fracture of a lower limb (in 23rd place with 30,174 cases), and poisoning by medications and other drugs (in 41st place with 17,211 cases).

The data came from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

SOURCES: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project: "2003 Hospital Stays for Children Only." News release, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.