RESEARCH - Orthopaedic surgery of the lower limbs in 49,802 RA patients: results from the Swedish National Inpatient Registry during 1987-2001

[Guest guest]

Ann Rheum Dis. 2005 Aug 3; [Epub ahead of print]

Orthopaedic surgery of the lower limbs in 49,802 rheumatoid arthritis

patients: results from the Swedish National Inpatient Registry during

1987-2001.

Weiss RJ, Stark A, Wick MC, Ehlin A, Palmblad K, Wretenberg P.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Karolinska University Hospital,

Stockholm, Sweden.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to analyse whether the rates of

hospitalisation and the use of orthopaedic surgery of the lower limbs in

Swedish RA patients have changed during the period 1987-2001. METHODS: Data

for all RA patients hospitalised between 1987-2001 were abstracted from the

Swedish National Hospital Discharge Register (SNHDR). The data in the

register are collected prospectively, representing all RA inpatient

admissions throughout Sweden. The SNHDR utilises the codes for diagnoses at

discharge and surgical procedures according to the Swedish version of the

International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which underwent a revision

from ICD-9 (1987-1996) to ICD-10 (1997-present). RESULTS: We identified a

total of 49,802 individual RA patients, comprising 159,888 inpatient visits.

RA patient hospital admissions decreased statistically significantly by 42%

(p<0.001) during the period 1987-2001. Of all admissions, 12% were due to an

RA-related surgical procedure of the lower limbs, and those admissions

markedly decreased by 16% between 1987- 1996 and by 12% between 1997-2001,

as did the overall number of RA-related surgical procedures of the lower

limbs during both time periods. Between 1997-2001, 47% of all RA-related

surgical procedures were total joint arthroplasties. There was an overall

trend towards less hospitalisation after orthopaedic surgery of the lower

limbs during the study period.

CONCLUSIONS: Rates of hospitalisation and RA- related surgical procedures of

the lower limbs for Swedish RA patients decreased between 1987-2001. These

findings may reflect trends in disease severity, management and health

outcomes of RA patients in Sweden.

PMID: 16079168

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=PubMed & list_uids=1\

6079168 & dopt=Abstract

Not an MD

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org