Compared to selected other chronic disease, patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) had increasing rates of hospitalization, longer hospital stays, more readmissions, and less access to post-acute care. Researchers collected data from a large healthcare system in Texas on hospitalizations related to CLD (n=27,783), chronic heart failure (CHF; n=60,415), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; n=34,199) from January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2013. They calculated annual hospitalization rates (per 100,000) and compared hospital course, inpatient mortality, ancillary services, and readmissions. Among the findings:

• Compared to patients with CHF or COPD, patients with CLD were significantly younger.
• During the study period, the rate of CLD-related hospitalization increased by 92% compared to 6.7% for CHF and 48.8% for COPD.
• Patients with CLD had longer hospital stays.
• A higher proportion of patients with CLD died or were discharged to hospice, and a smaller proportion had access to post-acute care.