Incidence of gun-related hospitalizations correlates with stock market performance

A new study published in The American Journal of Medicine suggests that the national incidence of gun-related hospitalizations has mirrored the performance of the national stock market. The study suggests, therefore, that economic insecurities may drive firearm-related injuries.

About 88 people die every day in the US from firearm-related suicides, homicides and accidents.

About 88 people die every day in the USA from a combination of firearm-related suicides, homicides, unintentional injuries and accidents, making guns the second leading cause of injury-related death in the nation after road accidents.

Although there is a large amount of literature detailing the vital statistics relating to firearm injuries, there is a conspicuous paucity of literature exploring burden on health care resources imposed by firearm injuries.

One could surmise that there would be a relationship between the national economic situation and national firearm-related hospitalization rates.

Analyzing data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database, the researchers found 70,974 firearm-related hospitalizations during the period 2001-11. There was a modest increase in these hospitalizations during 2002 and 2004, followed by a slow decline until 2008, sharp increases in 2009 and 2010, and then a sharp decline in 2011.

About 8% of these injuries were fatal, which remained consistent across the study period. Suicide accounted for 30% of these fatal gun-related injuries. The study also found that the prevalence of mental health disorders among patients admitted to hospital with gun-related injuries has increased.

Comparing the NIS data with the Dow Jones Industrial Average - an overall indicator of the nation's economic health - the researchers concluded that "the national incidence of firearm-related hospitalizations in the USA has closely tracked the national stock market performance, suggesting that economic perturbations may be a 'root cause' or at least an important predictor of firearm injuries."

Looking more closely at the period 2007-11, the researchers observed a "small but significant" drop in the numbers of patients discharged to home, compared with 2001-06. During this period, the average length of stay following a gun-related injury also increased from 6.6 days to 7.4 days.

The average hospitalization cost associated with a firearm-related injury also increased from $20,686 during 2001-06 to $25,155 in 2007-11, the study reports.

1 in 10 adults have both access to firearms and a history of angry and impulsive behavior

Earlier this month, we learned from a study co-authored by researchers from Duke, Harvard and Columbia universities that found nearly 1 in 10 adults have both access to firearms and a history of impulsivity and anger.

In addition, that study found that fewer than 1 in 10 of the anger-prone people with access to firearms had been hospitalized with a psychiatric or substance abuse problem, which means that most of these anger-prone people would be free to legally purchase firearms.

In February, a paper published in the Annals of Internal Medicine called for the introduction of new policies to reduce the number of gun-related injuries and deaths in the US.

Recommendations made in the paper included compulsory criminal background checks for all firearm purchases, prohibition from public sale of military-style "assault-style" weapons, and freedom of speech for physicians to discuss gun ownership with patients.

References:

1.  Trends and burden of firearm-related hospitalizations in the United States across 2001-2011, Shikhar Agarwal, The American Journal of Medicine, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2014.12.008, published online 16 April 2015, abstract.
2.  Elsevier news release, accessed 17 April 2015.