Analysis of 622 pediatric hospitalizations due to arterial ischemic stroke in Poland – National Health Fund registry-based study from 2011 to 2020

Abstract

IntroductionThe present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of the arterial ischaemic stroke (AIS) in Polish children, as well as to analyse the parameters related to AIS hospitalization, including age, gender, region, month and season of a year at admission, duration and costs based on data from National Health Fund (NHF) registery in 2011–2020.Material and methodsData from the NHF were analysed statistically. The disease was identified according to the codes I63 and I64 of the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10), and patients included only individuals up to 18 years of age. Results We identified 622 hospitalisations due to paediatric AIS in Poland in the study period.ResultsThe most frequent age subgroups were adolescents, followed by toddlers or pre-school children (34.73% and 24.12%, respectively), while the least frequent – neonates or infants (9.81%). ICD-10 procedures did significantly affect the duration and costs of hospitalisation (p<0.001). The highest costs of hospitalisations concerned the I63.1 procedure (cerebral infarction due to embolism of precerebral arteries), which included thrombectomy. Duration and costs of hospitalisation were positively correlated to each other (r=0.525, p<0.001). Age correlated negatively with duration of hospitalisation (r= -0.154, p<0.001) and positively with costs of hospitalisation (r =0.133, p=0.008).ConclusionsData from the NHF registry proved that AIS occurs more often in boys than girls and is more common in adolescents (15–18 years) than younger children.