<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><xml><records><record><source-app name="HighWire" version="7.x">Drupal-HighWire</source-app><ref-type name="Journal Article">17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Nietert, Paul J</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Silver, Richard M</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Mitchell, Holly C</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Shaftman, Stephanie R</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Tilley, Barbara C</style></author></authors><secondary-authors></secondary-authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Demographic and clinical factors associated with in-hospital death among patients with systemic sclerosis.</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">The Journal of Rheumatology</style></secondary-title></titles><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2005</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2005-10-01 00:00:00</style></date></pub-dates></dates><pages><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">1888-1892</style></pages><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">32</style></volume><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">10</style></issue><abstract><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">OBJECTIVE: To examine demographic and clinical predictors of in-hospital death of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and determine to what extent apparent racial differences may be attributed to socioeconomic factors. METHODS: Data were obtained on all hospitalizations in South Carolina for patients who were ever hospitalized between 1996 and 2000 with a diagnosis of SSc. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine predictors of in-hospital death among whites, blacks, and other patients. RESULTS: Proportions of in-hospital deaths among blacks (23.0%) and others (27.7%) were higher than among whites (15.6%), a finding that remained after adjustment for other sociodemographic and clinical factors (black/white odds ratio: 1.70, 95% confidence interval: 1.01-2.86; other/white OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.04-4.09). Other factors associated with in-hospital death included transfer status, emergency admission, length of stay, number of hospitalizations during the time period, and presence of congestive heart failure (OR 1.79; 95% CI 1.06-3.03) or hypertension (OR 0.41; 95% CI 0.23-0.71). CONCLUSION: Black and other non-white patients with SSc appear to experience an elevated risk of death during their hospital stays. Further research is necessary to understand the reasons for these disparities.</style></abstract></record></records></xml>