The Risk Factors for Nosocomial Infection in Chinese Patients with Active Rheumatoid Arthritis in Shanghai

Objective. To analyse the potential risk factors of nosocomial infections in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. A total of 2452 active RA patients at Hospitals in Shanghai between January 2009 and February 2011 were analyzed. Their demographic and clinical characteristics were compared with those without infection, and the potential risk factors were determined by logistic regression analysis. Results. Multivariate analysis indicated the gender (OR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.53–0.92), duration in hospital (OR = 1.03 , 95%CI 1.01–1.05), number of organs involved (OR = 0.82, 95%CI 0.72–0.92), number of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs ((DMARDs) (OR = 1.22, 95%CI 1.061–1.40)), corticosteroid therapy (OR = 1.02, 95%CI 1.01–1.03), peripheral white blood cell counts ((WBC) (OR = 1.04, 95%CI 1.00–1.08)), levels of serum albumin (OR = 0.98, 95%CI 0.97–0.99), and C-reactive protein ((CRP) (OR = 1.03 , 95%CI 1.01–1.04)) that were significantly associated with the risk of infections. Conclusion. The female patients, longer hospital stay, more organs involved, more DMARDs, corticosteroid usage, high counts of WBC, lower serum albumin, and higher serum CRP were independent risk factors of infections in active RA patients.