Reasons for first intensive care unit admission among incident cohort of RA. Values are n (%).
| Reason | General Population Controls, n = 5349* | RA, n = 343 |
|---|---|---|
| Ischemic cardiovascular disease** | 2535 (47.4) | 157 (45.8) |
| Infection | 648 (12.1) | 68 (19.8) |
| All other† | 2166 (40.5) | 118 (34.4) |
| Respiratory system | 292 (5.4) | 23 (6.7) |
| Injury and poisoning, including self-harm | 222 (4.2) | 20 (5.89) |
| Symptoms, signs, and ill-defined conditions | 311 (5.9) | 14 (4.1) |
| Circulatory system‡ | 1072 (20.0) | 9 (2.6) |
| Diseases of the digestive system | 140 (2.6) | 9 (2.6) |
| Miscellaneous | 129(2.4) | 43 (12.5) |
↵* Matches drawn each year from 2000 through 2010.
↵** Myocardial infarctions, unstable angina, acute coronary insufficiency, and angioplasty or coronary artery bypass grafting.
↵† Categories of “other” reasons for admission also subdivided by International Classification of Disease chapters for categories affecting ≥ 5% of either study cohort.
↵‡ Cerebrovascular accidents, arrhythmias, valve replacement surgery, and congestive heart failure without documentation of ischemic heart disease were included under other diseases of the circulatory system. RA: rheumatoid arthritis.