A new study has found that systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients have high risk of being rehospitalized within 30 days of discharge.
People suffering from Lupus have an overactive immune system that attacks their joints and other organs. Around a quarter of SLE patients are hospitalized each year. These people are also more likely to require readmissions than other people.
"SLE patients have one of the highest hospital readmission rates compared to those with other chronic illnesses," explained Jinoos Yazdany, M.D., M.P.H. from the Division of Rheumatology at the University of California, San Francisco, according to a news release. "Our study is the first large-scale examination of early readmissions following hospitalization due to SLE."
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of California in San Francisco, found that black and Hispanic SLE patients were more likely to be readmitted than patients belonging to other ethnicities. Also, people insured by Medicare or Medicaid were more likely to be rehospitalized than patients insured by other agencies.
The study was based on data from 31,903 lupus patients readmitted between 2008 and 2009. The patients belonged to five U.S states - California, Florida, New York, Utah and Washington.
The researchers found that some 17 percent of the readmissions of lupus patients occurred within 30 days of discharge.
Lupus nephritis (kidney inflammation), serositis (inflammation of the lining of the lungs, heart, abdomen) were few of the most common reasons for readmissions of lupus patients. The researchers also found that young people with lupus were more likely to be rehospitalized than old patients.
There was also an association between rates of readmission and states. For example, New York and Florida had lower rates of lupus readmissions than California.
The study is published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology.