Takeaway
- Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who are hospitalized for stroke have no difference in adverse outcomes, including in-hospital mortality, vs other hospitalized patients with stroke who do not have RA.
- The only exceptions were that patients with RA had higher risk for peptic ulcer and mechanical ventilation use for 1 stroke subtype.
Why this matters
- No extra precautions are needed for patients with RA during hospitalization for stroke.
Study design
- Cross-sectional cohort of 27,142 patients hospitalized for stroke in the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database, 2005.
- 764 patients with stroke in the cohort with a prior diagnosis of RA were compared with 2292 age- and sex-matched patients with stroke without RA.
- Primary outcome was in-hospital mortality.
- Funding: None disclosed.
Key results
- No difference between groups in the following adverse outcomes:
- in-hospital mortality,
- pneumonia,
- urinary tract infection,
- acute respiratory failure,
- use of mechanical ventilation, and
- length of stay.
- The RA group had higher risks than the non-RA group of these adverse outcomes:
- peptic ulcer (OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.05-2.20) and
- use of mechanical ventilation for subarachnoid/intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke (OR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.14-3.15).
Limitations
- Observational design.
- RA disease severity unknown.
- Behavioral risk factors (e.g., BMI) unknown.
- Outcomes after hospitalization unknown.
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