PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - MM Housden
AU  - G Bell
AU  - CR Heycock
AU  - J Hamilton
AU  - V Saravanan
AU  - CA Kelly
TI  - How to reduce morbidity and mortality from chest infections in rheumatoid arthritis
AID  - 10.7861/clinmedicine.10-4-326
DP  - 2010 Aug 01
TA  - Clinical Medicine
PG  - 326--329
VI  - 10
IP  - 4
4099  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/10/4/326.short
4100  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/10/4/326.full
SO  - Clin Med2010 Aug 01; 10
AB  - Morbidity and mortality from pneumonia is increased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Factors contributing to this have been recently identified and a number of recommendations have been implemented in an attempt to reverse this trend. The present paper shows that these measures have combined to produce a fourfold reduction in both admissions and case fatality rates. In the study population, immunisation rates against influenza and pneumococcus have improved to 86% and 65%, oral steroid consumption has halved and disease modifying drugs were usually appropriately suspended during acute infection. These measures may now merit more widespread adoption.