Hospitalizations of patients with sarcoidosis before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland

INTRODUCTION Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic granulomatous disease that mostly affects the lungs and lymphatic system. Due to its rarity and variable clinical course, analyses of factors related to sarcoidosis should be based on large databases and long observation periods. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics of patients with sarcoidosis hospitalized in Poland over a long period (2016-2021). PATIENTS AND METHODS We conducted a retrospective study using hospital discharge records compiled by the National Institute of Public Health NIH - National Research Institute. We analyzed the records of patients with sarcoidosis from the entire Polish population at their first hospitalization. RESULTS We identified a total of 15 548 first-time hospitalizations for sarcoidosis. The mean annual disease incidence was 6.8 cases per 100 000. The mean (SD) age of the patients was 45.8 (13.6) years, and it was lower in men than in women (42.9 [12.5] vs 49.8 [14.2] years; P <0.001). There were significantly more hospitalizations among city dwellers (62.3% vs 37.3% for rural residents; P <0.001). At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland there was a decrease in the number of hospitalizations for sarcoidosis, followed by an increase in the subsequent year. The all-cause in-hospital death rate was significantly higher during the COVID-19 pandemic, as compared with the period before the pandemic (7.2 vs 2.3 per 1000; P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS Health care changes related to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic may have increased the health debt for inpatient sarcoidosis treatment. The occurrence of sarcoidosis in Poland may be related to demographic and territorial factors.