Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital admissions due to viral hepatitis in Spain

•Hospitalizations in Spain dropped 14.6% during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was 18.1% for viral hepatitis.•In-hospital deaths in patients with viral hepatitis significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.•Liver transplants significantly declined in Spain during the pandemic period.•Coinfection with SARS-CoV-2 increased the in-hospital mortality rate of viral hepatitis, especially for chronic hepatitis B. Before the advent of COVID-19 vaccines, hospitalizations due to SARS-CoV-2 infection during 2020 collapsed most medical centers worldwide. Disruptions in health care for clinical conditions other than COVID-19 were not uniform. Herein, we report the impact of COVID-19 on hospitalizations due to viral hepatitis in Spain. Retrospective study of all hospitalizations in Spain during 10 months before (pre-pandemic period) and after (pandemic period) March 1st 2020. Admissions with a diagnosis of hepatitis B, C and/or delta were retrieved and compared using the Spanish National Registry of Hospital Discharges. Nationwide hospitalizations declined 14.6% during the pandemic period, from 3,144,164 to 2,684,845. This reduction was significantly more pronounced for admissions due to viral hepatitis (18.1% drop), falling from 46,521 to 38,115. During the pandemic period, patients admitted with viral hepatitis died significantly more frequently than during the pre-pandemic period (7.2% vs 6.1%; p