TRENDS IN HOSPITALIZATIONS FOR ABNORMAL UTERINE BLEEDING IN THE UNITED-STATES - 1980-1992

We examined trends in hospital discharges, length of hospital stay, an d procedures performed for abnormal uterine bleeding from 1980 through 1992. We used data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey. Disch arges involving patients with reproductive tract cancers or pregnancy- related diagnoses were excluded. The overall discharge rate for abnorm al uterine bleeding decreased 66% during the study period, from 56 dis charges per 10,000 women in 1980 to 19 per 10,000 in 1992. The dischar ge rate declined significantly for hospitalizations during which hyste rectomy was not performed and remained relatively stable for hospitali zations with hysterectomy. Discharge rates decreased among all age and race groups and in all geographic regions. The percentage of discharg es following hysterectomy steadily increased from 25% in 1980 to 72% i n 1992. The average length of stay decreased significantly only for di scharges for stays during which hysterectomy was performed, from 7.6 d ays in 1980 to 3.7 days in 1992. During the study period, abnormal ute rine bleeding contributed to more than 5 million hospitalizations, 2 m illion hysterectomies, and 20 million hospital days. Our findings are consistent with a decreased likelihood of hospitalization for abnormal uterine bleeding if hysterectomy was not performed and shorter hospit al stays for women undergoing hysterectomy for bleeding. These finding s highlight the impact of abnormal uterine bleeding on the U.S. health care system.