Effects of Malnutrition on In-Hospital and Discharge Outcomes Among Young Adults Hospitalized with Gastrointestinal Cancers: National Estimates from the United States

Purpose Protein–energy malnutrition (PEM) is common in gastrointestinal (GI) cancers and may worsen inpatient outcomes. Contemporary national data describing the impact of PEM among young adults with GI malignancies are limited. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study using HCUP NIS data from 2018 to 2021. We identified hospitalizations of adults aged 18 to 39 years with GI cancers using ICD 10 CM codes C15 to C26. We defined PEM by diagnosis codes recorded during the index admission. Primary outcomes were in hospital mortality and discharge disposition. Secondary outcomes were LOS and total hospital charges. We used survey weighted multivariable logistic and linear regression to estimate adjusted associations, accounting for age, sex, race or ethnicity, payer, income quartile, admission type, calendar year, and age adjusted CCI. Results Among 58,910 weighted hospitalizations of young adults with gastrointestinal cancers, 11,915 (20.2%) had protein–energy malnutrition (PEM). Compared with those without PEM, patients with PEM had a higher burden of advanced disease and acute illness, including a greater prevalence of metastatic disease (71.8% vs 53.1%), and experienced worse unadjusted outcomes, including higher in-hospital mortality (8.4% vs 3.2%), longer length of stay (10.43 vs 5.63 days), and higher total hospital charges ($133,790 vs $83,702). In adjusted analyses, PEM was independently associated with increased odds of in-hospital mortality (aOR 2.13, 95% CI 1.72–2.56; p < 0.001) and higher odds of non-home discharge (aOR 1.67, 95% CI 1.47–1.89; p < 0.001). PEM was also associated with substantially greater resource utilization, including an adjusted increase of 4.49 hospital days (β + 4.492; SE 0.248; p < 0.001) and $53,513 higher total hospital charges (β +$53,512.6; SE $5,527.6; p < 0.001). Conclusion PEM affected one in five hospitalizations among young adults with GI cancers and independently increased mortality, non-home discharge, LOS, and hospital charges. These findings support routine inpatient nutritional assessment and early intervention in this high risk population.