title: Hospitalized infections in giant cell arteritis: a population-based retrospective cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the occurrence of infections requiring or acquired during hospitalization in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA).
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed a population-based incidence cohort of patients with GCA diagnosed between 1950 and 2009 and compared this cohort with a non-GCA one matched for age, sex, and calendar year from the same population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 245 patients in the GCA cohort and 245 patients in the non-GCA cohort. Seventy-four GCA subjects (134 episodes) and 79 non-GCA (153 episodes) had infections requiring or acquired during hospitalization [rate ratio (RR) 0.94; 95% CI 0.74, 1.18]. Sixty-seven subjects (107 episodes) in the GCA cohort and 63 subjects (110 episodes) in non-GCA cohort required hospitalization secondary to an infection (RR 1.04; CI 0.80, 1.36). Pneumonia, urinary tract infections (UTI), skin and soft tissue infections accounted for the majority of infections requiring hospitalization and had similar occurrence in both cohorts. UTI accounted for the majority of infections requiring hospitalization in the first 6 months after GCA incidence (RR 3.93; CI 0.85, 56.52). No difference between the 2 cohorts was noted in overall infections acquired during hospitalization (RR 0.68; CI 0.41, 1.08).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is no overall increased risk of infections requiring or acquired during hospitalization in patients with GCA who are taking glucocorticoid therapy. There may be an increased risk of infections requiring hospitalization, especially of the urinary tract, in the first 6 months after GCA incidence, although this did not achieve statistical significance in our study.
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.P.D. Udayakumar, MD; A.K. Chandran, MBBS; C.S. Crowson, MS; K.J. Warrington, MD; E.L. Matteson, MD, MPH, Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. udaya009@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Prabhu D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Udayakumar
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.P.D. Udayakumar, MD; A.K. Chandran, MBBS; C.S. Crowson, MS; K.J. Warrington, MD; E.L. Matteson, MD, MPH, Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
authors.forename: Arun K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Chandran
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.P.D. Udayakumar, MD; A.K. Chandran, MBBS; C.S. Crowson, MS; K.J. Warrington, MD; E.L. Matteson, MD, MPH, Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
authors.forename: Cynthia S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Crowson
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.P.D. Udayakumar, MD; A.K. Chandran, MBBS; C.S. Crowson, MS; K.J. Warrington, MD; E.L. Matteson, MD, MPH, Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Warrington
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.P.D. Udayakumar, MD; A.K. Chandran, MBBS; C.S. Crowson, MS; K.J. Warrington, MD; E.L. Matteson, MD, MPH, Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
authors.forename: Eric L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Matteson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D013700:Giant Cell Arteritis / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012874:Skin Diseases, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids
keywords: COHORT STUDIES; GIANT CELL ARTERITIS; HOSPITALIZATION; INFECTION