Hospitalisations related to systemic sclerosis and the impact of interstitial lung disease. Analysis of patients hospitalised at the University of Michigan, USA.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-1-2021

Publication Title

Clinical and experimental rheumatology

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To determine the primary reason for hospitalisations in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and impact of underlying interstitial lung disease (ILD) in a tertiary scleroderma centre.

METHODS: A retrospective analysis on a subset of a scleroderma cohort from 2011-2019 was performed to assess causes for hospitalisations and mortality. A chart review was performed to extract demographics, primary reason for hospitalisation and inpatient mortality. Admissions were classified as SSc (if hospitalisation reason was related to primary organ dysfunction) and non-SSc related causes.

RESULTS: The mean age of the cohort was 53.1 years, 78% were women, and the mean disease duration was 5.2 years. Among 484 patients, 182 (37.6%) were admitted for a total of 634 admissions. In 382 SSc-related admissions, pulmonary hypertension (12.0%) and gastrointestinal dysmotility (11.0%), were major causes of urgent admissions; management of digital vasculopathy (26.1%) was the major reason for elective admissions. In 252 non-SSc related admissions, infection (respiratory:11.5%, skin and soft tissue: 6.3%) was the major reason for urgent admissions, and elective surgery (21.4%) was the major reason for elective admissions. We found 65% of all patients had underlying ILD and a greater proportion of patients with ILD were hospitalised (122 patients). Overall inpatient mortality was 9.3% and the leading cause for mortality was progressive pulmonary hypertension.

CONCLUSIONS: Among a large cohort of SSc patients who are followed at a tertiary scleroderma centre, 37.6 % had hospital admissions, while worsening pulmonary hypertension, ILD, cardiac involvement and infectious complications were the major cause of mortality and morbidity.

Volume

39 Suppl 131

Issue

4

First Page

43

Last Page

51

DOI

10.55563/clinexprheumatol/9ivp9g

ISSN

0392-856X

PubMed ID

33734968

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