Readmission within 30 days of discharge is very common among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a new study finds.
The study was conducted by researchers from the University of California. They found that one in every six lupus patients is readmitted to hospital within 30 days of being discharged after treatment.
For the study, researchers examined 55,936 hospitalizations using hospital discharge databases. They found that 31,903 lupus patients were readmitted between 2008 and 2009 in California, Florida, New York, Utah and Washington. They noted that 17 percent of this readmission took place within 30 days of being discharged.
"SLE patients have one of the highest hospital readmission rates compared to those with other chronic illnesses," explained Jinoos Yazdany, from the Division of Rheumatology at the University of California, San Francisco, in a press statement. "Our study is the first large-scale examination of early readmissions following hospitalization due to SLE."
Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease, characterized by the production of unusual antibodies in the blood. It is eight times more common in women than men. According to medical statistics, about 25 percent of lupus patients need to be hospitalized for treatment every year. The causes of SLE remain unknown till date. However, heredity, viruses, ultraviolet light and drugs are speculated to play some role.
Treatment of SLE is directed toward decreasing inflammation and/or the level of autoimmune activity. People with SLE can prevent "flares" of disease by avoiding sun exposure, not abruptly discontinuing medications, and monitoring their condition with their doctor, according to a Mayo Clinic report.
"Hospitals with higher readmissions for SLE did not have higher admissions for other chronic conditions such as heart failure or pneumonia, which is condition-specific to SLE readmissions and warrants further study," Dr. Yazdany said. "The significant geographic and hospital-level variation in readmission rates signals a need for quality improvement efforts in lupus."
This study was funded in part by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin diseases. Findings were published online in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology.
