Hospitalization burden and comorbidities of patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Spain during the period 2002–2017

Abstract

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune rheumatic disease that is associated with multiple comorbidities and has a significant economic impact on the Spanish health system. The objective of this study was to estimate the rates of hospitalization of rheumatoid arthritis in Spain, and describing hospitalization rates and their changing by age, region, RA variant, and when RA as a main cause of hospitalization or a comorbidity. Methods: Observational descriptive study that reviewed hospital records from the CMBD. We included all hospitalizations of patients in Spain whose main diagnosis or comorbidity in the ICD-9-CM was rheumatoid arthritis during the period of 2002-2017. Results: A total of 315,190 hospitalizations with the RA code were recorded; 67.3% were in women. The mean age of the patients was 68.5 ± 13.9 years. The median length of hospital stay was 7 days (IQR 3-11 days). In 29,809 of the admissions, RA was coded as the main diagnosis (9.4%). When RA was not coded as the main diagnosis, the most frequent main diagnoses were diseases of the circulatory system (18.9%) and diseases of the respiratory system (17.4%). The hospitalization rate during the period of 2002-2017 was 43.8 (95% CI: 43.7-44.0) per 100,000 inhabitants and constantly increased during the period. The total cost for the healthcare system was 1.476 million euros, with a median of 3542 euros per hospitalization (IQR 2646-5222 euros). Conclusions: In Spain, the hospitalization rate of patients with RA increased during the study period, despite the decrease in the hospitalization rate when RA was the main diagnosis.

An Analysis of Rheumatoid Arthritis Hospitalizations

“…We found CV diseases to be the most common cause of hospitalization in RA patients, which is in line with other studies [ 22 , 23 ]. This finding is consistent with what is known about the increased CV burden associated with RA in the absence of other risk factors.…”

Health and economic impact associated with rheumatoid arthritis discharges: a cost analysis of a two-year cohort in Mexico

“…However, there is scant data in the literature on the economic impact of RA for public hospitals. Kannayiram et al and Gil-Conesa et al described the cost of drug therapy for RA by utilizing ICD-9-CM and ICD-10 [ 22 , 23 ], but did not investigate the expenditure of hospital resources for medical procedures and surgical interventions.…”

Expert consensus on quality control indicators for integrative medicine in rheumatoid arthritis (2023 version)

“…RA has a high incidence of disability and functional limitation, which increases gradually with the disease duration [7]. These hazards impose a significant life, medical, and economic burden on patients, healthcare providers, and society [8][9][10].…”