Evaluation of inflammatory rheumatic diseases from an emergency medicine perspective.

Our study found that visits to the ED by patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases were classified as urgent or less urgent. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis were the most numerous ED visitors. Vasculitis was the most common cause of hospitalization in the wards and scleroderma was the most common cause of hospitalization in the ICU and death. This suggests that ED physicians should be aware of these patients.