AbstractAimsThe aims of this study were to: examine differences in alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) prevalence, temporal trends and the distribution of socio-demographic factors and comorbidities by sex; and investigate differences in selected inpatient outcomes between women and men with ACM.MethodsWe used the 2002–2014 Nationwide Inpatient Sample databases. Overall and sex-specific rates of ACM were estimated across sociodemographic, clinical, and hospital characteristics. Joinpoint regression was used to estimate temporal trends (annual percent change [APC]) of ACM-related hospitalization by sex and race/ethnicity. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) representing associations between sex and selected ACM outcomes were calculated using survey logistic regression.ResultsThe rate of ACM among all inpatient men and women was 128 per 100,000 and 17 per 100,000 hospitalizations, respectively. Among women, the rate of ACM remained unchanged during the study period, while for men, there was 1.2% annual reduction from 2002–2010 (APC −1.3, 95% CI: −1.7, −0.8). Women with ACM were more likely than men with ACM to experience depression (AOR=2.24, 95% CI: 2.06–2.43) and anxiety (AOR=1.94, 95% CI: 1.75–2.15), while men with ACM were 21% and 24% more likely than women with ACM to experience ‘any heart failure (HF)’ and HF with reduced ejection fraction respectively. One in 1,471 hospitalizations were related to ACM with a male-to-female ratio of 8:1.ConclusionIndividuals with ACM are at increased likelihood of adverse outcomes. Women with ACM are at increased risk of depression and anxiety, while men are at increased risk of HF.