Osahon N. Idolor

Background Longitudinal data on the trends in systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) readmissions are limited. We aimed to study trends in 30-day readmissions of patients admitted for SLE flares and all SLE hospitalizations in the USA from 2010 to 2018. Materials and methods Data were obtained from the nationwide readmission database (NRD). We performed a retrospective 9-year longitudinal trend analysis using the 2010–2018 NRD databases. We searched for index hospitalizations of adult patients diagnosed with SLE using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes. Elective and traumatic readmissions were excluded from the study. Multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses were used to calculate the adjusted p value trend for categorical and continuous outcomes, respectively. Results The 30-day readmissions following index admissions of all SLE patients and for SLE flares decreased from 15.6% in 2010 to 13.3% in 2018 (adjusted p trend < 0.0001), and 20.3% in 2010 to 17.6% in 2018 (adjusted p trend = 0.009) respectively. Following SLE-flare admissions, hospital length of stay (LOS) decreased from 6.7 to 6 days (adjusted p trend = 0.045), while the proportion with a Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) score ≥ 3 increased from 42.2 to 54.4% (adjusted p trend < 0.0001) during the study period. SLE and its organ involvement, sepsis, and infections were common reasons for 30-day readmissions. Conclusion About 1 in 5 SLE-flare admissions resulted in a 30-day readmission. The 30-day readmissions following index hospitalization for SLE flares and all SLE hospitalizations have decreased in the last decade. Although the readmission LOS was reduced, the CCI score increased over time. Key Points • The 30-day readmissions following index hospitalization for SLE flares and all SLE hospitalizations have reduced in the last decade although the CCI score increased over time. • SLE, its organ involvement, and infections are common reasons for readmission. • Infection control strategies, optimal management of SLE and its complications, and emphasis on an ideal transition of care are essential in reducing SLE readmissions.

We used a large United States (US) population-based database to analyze the reasons for hospitalization of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code was used to search for hospitalizations in 2017 in the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database with RA as the principal or secondary diagnosis. The reasons for hospitalization were divided into 19 categories based on their principal discharge ICD-10 diagnosis code. We also ranked the five most common specific reasons for hospitalization. There were over 35 million discharges included in the 2017 NIS database; 565,440 hospitalizations had either a principal or secondary ICD-10 code for RA. The top five reasons for RA hospitalization by ICD-10 code categories were as follows: cardiovascular (CV): 93,825 (16.59%), rheumatologic: 82,785 (14.64%), respiratory: 66,895 (11.83%), infection: 62,660 (11.09%), and injury/poisoning: 56,460 (9.96%). Sepsis was the most common principal diagnosis for RA hospitalizations. CV diseases were the most common ICD category, and sepsis was the most common principal diagnosis for RA hospitalizations. Management of medical comorbidities (such as CV) and prevention of infection is essential for reducing the rates of RA hospitalizations.