Emergency diagnosis may flag poor outcomes beyond cancer

Across 13 noncancer conditions, emergency diagnosis was common and associated with higher 1-year mortality.

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Patients diagnosed during emergency care may experience higher 1-year mortality across various noncancer conditions.
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The study analyzed 1.7 million patients diagnosed with 13 non-neoplastic conditions from 1999 to 2019.
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Emergency diagnoses occurred in over 20% of patients for nine conditions, with the highest rates in Parkinson's disease and COPD.
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The difference in 1-year mortality between emergency and non-emergency diagnoses was at least 10 percentage points for nine conditions.
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Patients diagnosed as emergencies were generally older and had greater comorbidity burdens, with variations based on deprivation.

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