WHEN HYPERTENSION REACHES THE HOSPITAL: PROFILING PATIENTS ADMITTED WITH HYPERTENSION AS A PRIMARY DIAGNOSIS IN CHILE’S PUBLIC SECTOR
Author(s)
Daniela Paredes, BSc, MPH1, Alejandro Sanchez Velasquez, MD, Master in Heart Failure2, André Luiz A. de Souza, BSc, MBA3, JUAN VALENCIA, MSc, MD4, Jennifer Maloney, MBA5;
1Senior Manager Health Economics & Reimbursement South Latam. Health Economics & Reimbursement. Medtronic Chile., Prof, Santiago, Chile, 2Principal Medical Affairs Latam. Medtronic Colombia., Bucaramanga, Colombia, 3Principal Advanced Analytics Analyst. Clinical Research and Medical Science Latin America. Medtronic Brazil., São Paulo, Brazil, 4Sr. Director Health Economics, Policy, and Reimbursement Latin America. Medtronic, US., Miami, FL, USA, 5Senior Clinical Research Manager. Clinical Research and Medical Science Latin America. Medtronic, US., Minneapolis, MN, USA
1Senior Manager Health Economics & Reimbursement South Latam. Health Economics & Reimbursement. Medtronic Chile., Prof, Santiago, Chile, 2Principal Medical Affairs Latam. Medtronic Colombia., Bucaramanga, Colombia, 3Principal Advanced Analytics Analyst. Clinical Research and Medical Science Latin America. Medtronic Brazil., São Paulo, Brazil, 4Sr. Director Health Economics, Policy, and Reimbursement Latin America. Medtronic, US., Miami, FL, USA, 5Senior Clinical Research Manager. Clinical Research and Medical Science Latin America. Medtronic, US., Minneapolis, MN, USA
OBJECTIVES: Hypertension affects a large proportion of the Chilean population and is predominantly managed in the primary care setting. However, some hypertensive patients require in-hospital treatments, particularly those with poor control This study evaluates the hypertension‑related demand on Chile’s public healthcare system, focusing on hospitalizations in which hypertension is recorded as primary diagnosis.
METHODS: A descriptive assessment of hospital admissions was conducted among adult patients (+18 years-old) in whom hypertension was recorded as primary diagnosis. The analysis included sociodemographic characteristics, diagnostic categories (ICD-10), procedures (ICD-9-CM), and indicators of healthcare resource utilization. Data was obtained from the open-access diagnosis-related group (DRG) database of Chile’s public health insurer, FONASA, between 2019 and 2024.
RESULTS: A total of 10,013 admissions reported hypertension as a primary diagnosis. Women represented 51.2% of all admissions with a mean length of stay of ten days, and although the average age was 69 years, 53.0% of the patients were over 70 years old. Of these, 47.4% of admissions were classified as severe with an average length of stay of 12 days. Mortality rate was 7.3%. Most frequent reported comorbidities were N18 Chronic kidney disease (9.4%), N17 Acute kidney failure (6.1%), and I50 Heart Failure (6.0%). Regarding hypertension-related diagnosis, I11 Hypertensive heart disease (39.4%), I10 Essential (primary) hypertension (34.5%), I13 Hypertensive heart and kidney disease (18.4%), I12 Hypertensive kidney disease (5.7%), and I15 Secondary hypertension (2.0%) were the most common. When comorbidities were grouped, most prevalent were: I30-I52 Other forms of heart disease (18.6%), N17-N19 Acute kidney failure and chronic kidney disease (15.4%), and I20-I25 Ischemic heart diseases (7.1%).
CONCLUSIONS: Hypertension‑related hospitalizations in Chile’s public system primarily affect older adults and involve substantial clinical complexity. These findings underscore the significant inpatient burden of hypertension and the need to strengthen outpatient management to prevent avoidable admissions.
METHODS: A descriptive assessment of hospital admissions was conducted among adult patients (+18 years-old) in whom hypertension was recorded as primary diagnosis. The analysis included sociodemographic characteristics, diagnostic categories (ICD-10), procedures (ICD-9-CM), and indicators of healthcare resource utilization. Data was obtained from the open-access diagnosis-related group (DRG) database of Chile’s public health insurer, FONASA, between 2019 and 2024.
RESULTS: A total of 10,013 admissions reported hypertension as a primary diagnosis. Women represented 51.2% of all admissions with a mean length of stay of ten days, and although the average age was 69 years, 53.0% of the patients were over 70 years old. Of these, 47.4% of admissions were classified as severe with an average length of stay of 12 days. Mortality rate was 7.3%. Most frequent reported comorbidities were N18 Chronic kidney disease (9.4%), N17 Acute kidney failure (6.1%), and I50 Heart Failure (6.0%). Regarding hypertension-related diagnosis, I11 Hypertensive heart disease (39.4%), I10 Essential (primary) hypertension (34.5%), I13 Hypertensive heart and kidney disease (18.4%), I12 Hypertensive kidney disease (5.7%), and I15 Secondary hypertension (2.0%) were the most common. When comorbidities were grouped, most prevalent were: I30-I52 Other forms of heart disease (18.6%), N17-N19 Acute kidney failure and chronic kidney disease (15.4%), and I20-I25 Ischemic heart diseases (7.1%).
CONCLUSIONS: Hypertension‑related hospitalizations in Chile’s public system primarily affect older adults and involve substantial clinical complexity. These findings underscore the significant inpatient burden of hypertension and the need to strengthen outpatient management to prevent avoidable admissions.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-05, ISPOR 2026, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue S6
Code
HSD102
Topic
Health Service Delivery & Process of Care
Disease
No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas, SDC: Cardiovascular Disorders (including MI, Stroke, Circulatory)