Hospitalization and Mortality Among Mexican Adults With Arthritis: Findings From the Mexican Health and Aging Study

Objectives: Few studies have investigated health outcomes associated with arthritis in low-middle-income countries. Our objective was to examine the association between arthritis and all-cause hospitalization and mortality among middle-aged and older adults in Mexico. Methods: Our sample included 12,106 participants aged >50 years from the 2012, 2015, and 2018 waves of the Mexican Health and Aging Study. Logistic regression was used for the associations between arthritis and hospitalization. Kaplan–Meier and Cox proportional hazard models were used for the association between arthritis and mortality. Results: Arthritis was associated with higher odds of hospitalization (OR = 1.23; 95% CI = 1.09–1.38), but not mortality. Arthritis with physical limitations had the highest odds of hospitalization (OR = 1.48; 95% CI = 1.27–1.73). Arthritis with joint pain (OR = 1.24; 95% CI = 1.10–1.41) and medication use (OR = 1.28; 95% CI = 1.11–1.48) had higher odds of hospitalization. Conclusion: Among middle-aged and older adults in Mexico, arthritis was associated with a high risk of hospitalization.