Session Information
Date: Thursday, June 8, 2017
Session Title: Other
Session Time: 1:15pm-2:45pm
Location: Exhibit Hall C
Objective: To describe national inpatient care for stiff person syndrome (SPS) in the United States and characterize all-cause 30-day readmission.
Background: SPS is a rare and progressive autoimmune disorder that is characterized by axial muscle rigidity and involuntary spasms, which may lead to significant patient disability. To date, many case reports have described SPS onset, progression, and treatment; however, there is a paucity of population-based data on SPS hospitalizations.
Methods: The 2013 Nationwide Readmission Database was queried for SPS index events, which were defined as inpatient encounters where an ICD-9 diagnosis of SPS (333.91) was documented, length of stay was recorded, and the patient was discharged alive. December discharges were excluded to ensure that sufficient follow-up was available for readmission analyses. Survey weighting methods were used to generate nationally representative estimates of SPS index events, all-cause readmission within 30 days of inpatient discharge, and principal reasons for readmission. Secondary analyses examined whether readmissions were to the same index event hospital.
Results: A total of 1,094 SPS index events were identified, with an all-cause 30-day readmission rate of 19.4%. SPS was the principal diagnosis for 27.4% of index events, but only 14.0% of readmissions. Readmissions were primarily for neurological conditions (22.9%), epilepsy/convulsions (5.9%), septicemia (5.2%), pneumonia (4.7%), diabetes mellitus with complications (4.0%), and respiratory failure (3.8%). Length of stay was comparable between index events (7.0 days) and readmissions (6.4 days). Among readmissions, 27.4% presented to a different hospital.
Conclusions: Hospital readmissions among individuals with SPS are relatively common, and include potential disease complications or medical conditions associated with SPS. Our finding of readmission to a different hospital may reflect specialty care patterns or gaps in discharge planning. Future studies are needed to determine the extent to which readmissions in SPS patients are avoidable.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
J. Crispo, D. Thibault, Y. Fortin, A. Willis. Inpatient care for stiff person syndrome in the United States: A nationwide readmission study [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2017; 32 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/inpatient-care-for-stiff-person-syndrome-in-the-united-states-a-nationwide-readmission-study/. Accessed June 15, 2025.« Back to 2017 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/inpatient-care-for-stiff-person-syndrome-in-the-united-states-a-nationwide-readmission-study/