Influence of Patient Gender on In-Hospital Mortality: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study.
Nahikari Vizuete-Aldave, Maider Ugartemendia-Yerobi, Beatriz Pereda-Goikoetxea and 5 others
PMID 39793991WHAT IT FOUND
In Basque Country hospitals, in-hospital mortality was higher for women than men in circulatory diseases, including heart attack and stroke.
It was higher for men in cancers, nervous system, genitourinary, injuries, femur fracture and other categories.
Key findings
01Women had significantly higher odds of dying in hospital than men for circulatory system diseases (OR 1.07 [1.01–1.14]), atherosclerosis (OR 1.57 [1.13–2.20]), acute myocardial infarction (OR 1.52 [1.21–1.91]) and cerebrovascular diseases (OR 1.14 [1.02–1.27]).
02Men had significantly higher odds of dying in hospital than women for neoplasms, diseases of the nervous system, diseases of the genitourinary system, malignant neoplasms of the colon, rectum and anus, cardiac conduction disorders and dysrhythmias, diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue, endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases, intracranial trauma, injury, poisoning and other consequences of external causes, fracture of the femur, intestinal diverticula and glomerular and tubulointerstitial diseases.
03No statistically significant gender differences were found in in-hospital mortality for any of the other ICD-10 diagnostic categories.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The data did not allow the researchers to identify individual deceased patients or to obtain details on comorbidities or medical history. Socioeconomic status, ethnic origin and reason for admission were not available. ICD-10 diagnostic codes were assigned by clinicians and may vary between them. Only in-hospital deaths were counted, so deaths outside hospital were not included. The study was limited to acute care hospitals in the Basque Country during 2016 to 2018, so other populations may differ.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the higher in-hospital mortality for women with circulatory diseases as proof that gender causes death. The study adjusted only for age, province and hospital ownership and could not account for comorbidities, so it shows an association, not a cause.