Poorer Hospitalized More Often for Preventable Conditions: Report

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In 2006, hospital admissions for asthma and diabetes were 87 percent and 77 percent higher, respectively, for the poorest Americans than for wealthier people, according to a federal government report released Wednesday.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality said that, compared to people from wealthier communities, those from the poorest areas had higher hospitalization rates for other potentially preventable conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (69 percent), congestive heart failure (51 percent), skin infections (49 percent), and dehydration (38 percent).

Patients from the poorest communities were also more likely to be hospitalized for severe blood infections, stroke and depression, said the AHRQ's latest News and Numbers.

The report also said hospitalized patients from the poorest areas were 80 percent more likely to receive hemodialysis for kidney failure, and were more likely to undergo procedures often done on an outpatient basis, such as eye and ear procedures (81 percent more likely).