A high proportion of people with methamphetamine use disorder are hospitalized at least once a year, of which a majority also have mental health conditions or other comorbidities (Gryczynski 2016; Lindsay 2022).
In LAC from 2015 to 2024, there were 216,131 hospitalizations that listed any methamphetamine abuse, dependence, use (including maternal use), or poisoning as a diagnosis or external-cause-of-injury (methamphetamine-related). Methamphetamine-related hospitalizations jumped 51% from 2022 to 2023, remaining high in 2024. By 2024, the annual total for methamphetamine-related hospitalizations was 28,886 cases (Figure 1).
From 2016 to 2024, the most frequently reported diagnosis for methamphetamine-related hospitalizations was methamphetamine abuse (65%), followed by methamphetamine dependence (18%), methamphetamine use (16%), and methamphetamine poisoning (3%) (Figure 2).
From 2015-2024, a total of 10,278 hospitalizations listed methamphetamine abuse, dependence, use (including maternal use), or poisoning as the principal diagnosis or principal external-cause-of-injury (primary), accounting for 4.8% of methamphetamine-related hospitalizations. Primary methamphetamine hospitalizations decreased by 27% from 2016 to 2024. In 2024, the annual total for primary methamphetamine hospitalizations was 883 cases (Figure 3).
Diagnosis type for primary methamphetamine hospitalizations differed from that for all methamphetamine-related hospitalizations. Poisoning (34% vs. 3%) and dependence (34% vs. 18%) accounted for a much larger proportion (Figure 4).
In 2015-2024, methamphetamine-related hospitalizations were largely comprised of patients aged 45-64 years (35%), followed by those aged 35-44 years (25%) and 26-34 years (24%) (Figure 5). The number of methamphetamine-related hospitalizations increased for all age groups from 2022 to 2023, particularly for those aged 35-44 (by 57%), aged 45-64 (by 55%), and aged 26-34 years (by 49%) (Figure 6).
Among primary methamphetamine hospitalizations, the age distribution was more even among middle aged adults aged 26-64 years, each accounting for about a quarter in 2015-2022. From 2022 to 2024, the age pattern became more similar to that for all methamphetamine-related hospitalizations, with those aged 45-64 as the largest group followed by those aged 26-34 and 35-44. Primary methamphetamine hospitalizations among young adults consistently decreased from 2016-2024 (Figures 7-8).
Males accounted for over two-thirds (71%) of methamphetamine-related hospitalizations from 2015-2024. The gender disparity increased slightly over the past decade (Figures 9-10).
Similar gender distribution patterns were also observed for primary methamphetamine hospitalizations (Figures 11-12).
Latinxs (44%) accounted for the largest proportion of methamphetamine-related hospitalizations, followed by Whites (28%), then Blacks (17%) in 2019-2024 (Figure 13). From 2015 to 2024, the proportions among Whites decreased from 38% to 27%, while those for Hispanic/Latinos increased from 40% to 44% (Figure 14).
Primary methamphetamine hospitalizations also followed these general race/ethnic distribution patterns (Figures 15-16).
During 2015-2024, patients with a methamphetamine-related condition stayed in the hospital for an average of 6.4 days, accounting for total 1,387,000 hospital days.
Patients who were hospitalized for primary methamphetamine conditions stayed on average of 5.4 days, accounting for 55,498 hospital days.
(Note: Patients admitted and discharged on the same day were counted has having 1 day for their length of stay.)
In 2015-2024, the mean hospital charge for methamphetamine-related hospitalizations was $70,926 (adjusted for inflation to 2024 US dollars). The mean hospital charge increased 43% from 2015 to 2024. The annual total methamphetamine-related hospital spending increased 145% from about $912 million in 2015 to over $2.2 billion in 2024 (Figure 17).
For primary methamphetamine hospitalizations, the mean hospital charge was $53,478 from 2015-2024. The mean hospital charge increased 57% from 2015 to 2022, then dropped 43% from 2022 to 2024. Total spending for primary methamphetamine hospitalizations was $550 million from 2015-2024 (Figure 18).
Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI). Nonpublic Inpatient Discharge and Emergency Department data, 2015-2024. California Department of Public Health.
Gryczynski, J., Schwartz, R. P., O’Grady, K. E., Restivo, L., Mitchell, S. G., & Jaffe, J. H. (2016). Understanding Patterns Of High-Cost Health Care Use Across Different Substance User Groups. Health affairs (Project Hope), 35(1), 12–19. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2015.0618
Lindsay, A. R., Shearer, R. D., Bart, G., & Winkelman, T. N. A. (2022). Trends in Substance Use Disorder-related Admissions at a Safety-net Hospital, 2008 – 2020. Journal of addiction medicine, 16(3), 360–363. https://doi.org/10.1097/ADM.0000000000000896