Table 2.
Characteristics of Visits for Itch in the United States (1999–2009)
| Characteristics | % of Visits for Itch (95% CI) (N=2,423) | % of Visits Not for Itch (95% CI) (N=298,156) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||
| Patient Age- years | |||
| Under 15 | 14.0 (12.1–16.2) | 16.5 (15.8–17.1) | 0.02 |
| 15 – 24 | 8.2 (6.8–9.8) | 7.8 (7.5–8.0) | 0.62 |
| 25 – 44 | 25.1 (22.7–27.7) | 21.6 (21.1–22.1) | <0.01 |
| 45 – 64 | 26.6 (24.4–29.0) | 28.4 (28.0–28.9) | 0.14 |
| 65 – 74 | 10.5 (9.0–12.2) | 12.6 (12.2–13.0) | 0.02 |
| ≥ 75 | 15.6 (13.8–17.7) | 13.2 (12.7–13.6) | 0.01 |
|
| |||
| Patient Sex | |||
| Female | 65.7 (62.8–68.6) | 59.0(58.6–59.4) | <0.01 |
| Male | 34.3 (31.4–37.2) | 41.0 (40.6–41.4) | <0.01 |
|
| |||
| Patient Racea | |||
| White | 79.8 (76.8–82.5) | 85.5 (84.4–86.6) | 0.01 |
| Black/African American | 12.3 (10.2–14.8) | 9.8 (9.0–10.7) | 0.01 |
| Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander | 7.6 (5.6–10.0) | 4.0 (3.3–4.7) | <0.01 |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.1 (.03–.5) | 0.4(.3–.5) | 0.10 |
| More than one race reported | 0.2 (.1–.6) | 0.3 (.2–.3) | 0.61 |
|
| |||
| Geographic Region | |||
| Northeast | 22.0 (18.5–25.9) | 20.2 (17.7–23.1) | 0.20 |
| Midwest | 20.0 (16.8–23.8) | 21.6 (18.5–25.0) | 0.30 |
| South | 37.5 (33.1–42.1) | 36.7 (33.0–40.6) | 0.60 |
| West | 20.5 (17.5–23.8) | 21.5 (18.9–24.3) | 0.51 |
|
| |||
| Physician Specialty | |||
| General medicine b | 35.9 (32.5–39.4) | 39.2 (37.7–40.8) | 0.04 |
| Dermatology | 27.8 (24.8–31.0) | 3.5 (3.2–3.8) | <0.01 |
| Surgery c | 5.2 (4.3–6.2) | 17.3 (16.6–18.0) | <0.01 |
| Ob/gyn | 13.6 (11.7–15.9) | 7.7 (7.3–8.2) | <0.01 |
| All otherd | 17.5 (15.1–20.1) | 32.2 (31.1–33.4) | <0.01 |
|
| |||
| Type of Payment | |||
| Private | 56.2 (53.2–59.3) | 55.3 (54.1–56.5) | 0.51 |
| Medicaree | 21.8 (19.6–24.3) | 22.0 (21.1–22.8) | 0.92 |
| Medicaid/SCHIP | 11.4 (9.56–13.4) | 10.5 (9.8–11.2) | 0.35 |
| Worker’s Compensation | 0.2 (.07–.7) | 1.4 (1.3–1.6) | <0.01 |
| Self-Pay | 5.4 (4.0–7.1) | 4.4 (4.1–4.7) | 0.16 |
| No Charge | 0.5 (.2–.9) | 0.4 (.3–.5) | 0.87 |
| Other/Unknown | 4.5 (3.5–5.9) | 6.0 (5.6–6.5) | 0.03 |
|
| |||
| All Patients | 7,002,352 | 911,025,555 | |
a
Based on data from 1999–2008 because of change in NAMCS’ reporting of race
b
Includes family medicine and internal medicine.
c
Includes general surgery, orthopedic surgery, urology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology
d
Includes pediatrics, cardiovascular medicine, psychiatry, neurology, and all other specialties not mentioned above
e
Dual eligible (Medicare and Medicaid) patients were counted as Medicaid