ArticleSAGE open medicine2026
Epidemiological characteristics and changing patterns of hospitalizations among middle-aged and elderly patients in Northwest China, 2020-2024: A retrospective cohort study.
Article in SAGE open medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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5 authors.
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Abstract
Objective: To describe hospitalization patterns, major disease spectra, and clinical outcomes among middle-aged and elderly inpatients in Northwest China between 2020 and 2024. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using electronic medical records from a tertiary hospital. A total of 108,027 admissions were reviewed, and 91,470 were included after excluding cases coded as Z51 (other medical care). Demographic features, length of stay, major diagnoses, and in-hospital mortality were summarized. Annual differences and temporal trends were assessed using appropriate statistical tests. Results: Hospitalizations increased from 16,407 in 2020 to 27,393 in 2024. Patients aged ≥65 years accounted for roughly three-quarters of admissions, with those aged 65-74 years forming the largest subgroup (46.6%). The overall in-hospital mortality was 1.29%, which scaled significantly with age and peaked at 1.77% in 2023 alongside a surge in respiratory admissions. While males consistently accounted for ∼55% of admissions, they exhibited a higher mortality rate than females (1.22% vs. 0.88%) and dominated specific admissions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (70.3% male). The median length of stay declined from 9 to 7 days. Chronic non-communicable diseases dominated the inpatient spectrum, with senile cataract, cerebral infarction, angina pectoris, and COPD being the most frequent diagnoses. Conclusion: Non-communicable diseases and age-related conditions remain the primary drivers of hospitalization, but their patterns are highly dynamic. The escalating mortality in the oldest-old and marked post-pandemic respiratory surges highlight the critical role of underlying frailty. Alongside improvements in heart failure management, healthcare systems must prioritize targeted primary prevention, aggressive multimorbidity management, and robust long-term care to address these shifting vulnerabilities.
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