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Hospitalizations and emergency room visits for adolescents and young adults with muscular dystrophy living in South Carolina

Introduction: Transitioning from adolescence to adulthood can be problematic for individuals with rare disabilities such as muscular dystrophy (MD). Methods: We identified a cohort of 220 individuals with MD and 440 matched comparison individuals and measured emergency room (ER) and inpatient (IP) encounters for the years 2000 through 2010, using all‐payer hospital discharge uniform billing data. We compared ER and IP use rates for people with and without MD, and for 15–19‐year‐olds with MD to 20–24‐year‐olds with MD. Results: ER and IP use rates were significantly higher among individuals with MD than the comparison group. In addition, ER and IP use rates were significantly higher in the 20–24‐year age group than in the 15–19‐year group. Conclusions: Additional research is needed to determine whether increased ER and IP use in young adults is attributable to difficulties in healthcare transition versus increased disease severity. Muscle Nerve 52: 714–721, 2015