title: Bacterial findings in infected hip joint replacements in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis: a study of 318 revisions for infection reported to the norwegian arthroplasty register.
abstract: High rates of Staphylococcus aureus are reported in prosthetic joint infection (PJI) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA patients are considered to have a high risk of infection with bacteria of potentially oral or dental origin. One thousand four hundred forty-three revisions for infection were reported to the Norwegian Arthroplasty Register (NAR) from 1987 to 2007. For this study 269 infection episodes in 255 OA patients served as control group. In the NAR we identified 49 infection episodes in 37 RA patients from 1987 to 2009. The RA patients were, on average, 10 years younger than the OA patients and there were more females (70% versus 54%). We found no differences in the bacterial findings in RA and OA. A tendency towards a higher frequency of Staphylococcus aureus (18% versus 11%) causing PJI was found in the RA patients compared to OA. There were no bacteria of potential odontogenic origin found in the RA patients, while we found 4% in OA. The bacteria identified in revisions for infection in THRs in patients with RA did not significantly differ from those in OA. Bacteria of oral or dental origin were not found in infected hip joint replacements in RA.
authors: Department of Orthopaedics, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway.
authors: J C
authors: JC
authors: Schrama
authors: Section of Infectious Diseases, Medical Department, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway.
authors: O
authors: O
authors: Lutro
authors: Department of Orthopaedics, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway.
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Langvatn
authors: Department of Orthopaedics, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Hallan
authors: Norwegian Arthroplasty Register, Haukeland University Hospital, 5009 Bergen, Norway.
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Espehaug
authors: Section of Infectious Diseases, Medical Department, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway ; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Sjursen
authors: Department of Orthopaedics, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway ; Norwegian Arthroplasty Register, Haukeland University Hospital, 5009 Bergen, Norway ; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors: L B
authors: LB
authors: Engesaeter
authors: Norwegian Arthroplasty Register, Haukeland University Hospital, 5009 Bergen, Norway ; Department of Rheumatology, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway.
authors: B-T
authors: BT
authors: Fevang