Association of obesity on outcomes of hospitalized patients with cerebral palsy

Objective: Among hospitalized adults with cerebral palsy (CP), it is unknown whether obesity is associated with clinical and resource utilization outcomes. We sought to identify the association of obesity on clinical and resource utilization outcomes in this population. Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed years 2016 and 2017 of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database and examined hospitalized adults with CP. Regression analyses were used to evaluate mortality and resource utilization. Results: In total, 154,219 adults with CP were hospitalized. Among them, 13,475 (8.7%) had a secondary diagnosis for obesity. Patients with obesity were older (mean age ± standard error of the mean: 49.9 ± 0.18 versus 44.7 ± 0.18 years, P < 0.01), a greater proportion were female (60.7% vs 43.2%, P < 0.01), and were more likely to be insured by Medicare (65.2% vs 56.2%, P < 0.01). Patients with obesity had higher comorbidity burdens (Charlson comorbidity score ≥ 3: 22.3% vs 9.8%, P < 0.01). Those with obesity had lower mortality rates (1.6% vs 2.4%; P < 0.01). After adjustment for confounders, mortality for patients with obesity remained lower (adjusted odds ratio 0.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.4–0.7, P < 0.01). Hospital charges (adjusted mean difference $2499, 95% CI $6202–$1202, P = 0.18) and length of stay (adjusted mean difference 0.01 days; 95% CI-0.28 to 0.31, P = 0.93) were not significantly different between the groups. Conclusions: Obesity was associated with reduced mortality among adult patients in the hospital who had CP. This finding is consistent with the obesity paradox that has been observed repeatedly in patients with other chronic diseases. Further studies investigating hospitalized patients with CP are needed to corroborate these findings.