Baseline characteristics of patients readmitted within 30 days of index admission versus nonreadmitted patients. Values are mean or n (%) unless otherwise specified.
| Characteristics | Early Readmission, n = 154 | Not Readmitted, n = 301 | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yrs | 52.6 | 51.2 | 0.4 |
| Female | 138 (89.6) | 273 (90.7) | 0.7 |
| Ethnicity | |||
| White | 66 (42.9) | 157 (52.2) | 0.0001 |
| Hispanic | 28 (18.2) | 64 (21.3) | 0.33 |
| African American | 42 (27.3) | 56 (18.6) | 0.07 |
| Asian | 16 (10.4) | 18 (6.0) | NS |
| Unknown | 2 (1.3) | 5 (1.7) | NS |
| Insurance | |||
| Medicare* | 9 (5.8) | 15 (5.0) | 0.31 |
| Medicare + private | 32 (20.1) | 62 (20.6) | 0.9 |
| Medicaid** | 17 (11.0) | 21 (7.0) | 0.0075 |
| Medicare-Medicaid | 35 (22.7) | 51 (16.9) | 0.0008 |
| Private | 54 (35.7) | 142 (47) | 0.0004 |
| Uninsured | 7 (4.5) | 10 (303) | 0.71 |
| Biochemical1 | |||
| Albumin, g/dl | 3.47 | 3.81 | < 0.0001 |
| Creatinine, mg/dl | 2.3 | 1.15 | < 0.0001 |
| Hemoglobin, g/dl | 10.1 | 11.2 | < 0.0001 |
| Immunosuppressive use | 102 (66.2) | 150 (50) | 0.001 |
| Steroid dose inpatient2 | 32.2 | 28.4 | 0.27 |
| Steroid dose outpatient3 | 9.5 | 6.9 | 0.24 |
| CCI | 4.79 | 3.31 | NS |
| SDI | 2.75 | 1.58 | NS |
↵* Government medical insurance for the elderly.
↵** Government medical insurance.
↵1 All laboratory values were included in average calculation and may include multiple values for the same patient.
↵2 Steroid dose inpatient was calculated by summing the total mg of prednisone (or prednisone equivalent) during hospital course and dividing it by the length of stay.
↵3 Steroid dose outpatient was the mg of prednisone (or prednisone equivalent) patient was taking at discharge. NS: not significant; CCI: Charlson Comorbidity Index; SDI: Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index.