Clinical characteristics, outcomes, and prognostic factors of patients with systemic rheumatic diseases in medical intensive care unit: A retrospective single center study

Aim: Systemic rheumatic diseases are a group of diseases that can affect several organs and occasionally need intensive care unit (ICU) admission due to the severity of diseases or complications. In this study, we aimed to investigate clinical features and factors associated with mortality in patients with systemic rheumatic diseases who were followed up in the medical ICU Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a medical ICU, between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2022. Patients who were 18 years older and with known or newly diagnosed systemic rheumatic diseases who were followed up in the ICU for more than 48 hours were included in the study. The cause of admission, clinical characteristics, and factors associated with mortality were evaluated. Results: A total of 76 patients were included in the final analysis; the mean age was 60,8±15.0 years and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (39%) was the most common systemic rheumatic disease. Acute respiratory failure (64%) was the most common reason for ICU admission, followed by septic shock (16%). A total of 41 (54%) patients died during their ICU stay. Non-survivor patients were older (mean age, 66.1 vs. 54.8 years, p=0.005) and had a higher APACHE-2 score than survivors (median, 24 vs. 14, p