Influence of disease duration and socioeconomic factors on the prevalence of infection and hospitalization in rheumatoid arthritis: KRAC study.

Aim: The use of healthcare resources by rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients can be related to the presence of disease, comorbid conditions, use of steroids, and the combined use of immunosuppressants. This study evaluated the risk factors associated with infection and hospitalization in RA.

Methods: This multicenter, cross-sectional study enrolled 3247 RA subjects fulfilling the 2010 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism criteria to examine the prevalence of hospitalization and episodes of documentable non-tubercular infections as a part of the "Karnataka rheumatoid arthritis comorbidity" study (KRAC).

Reduced incidence of extra-articular manifestations of RA through effective disease control: Karnataka Rheumatoid Arthritis Comorbidity (KRAC) study.

Aim: To estimate the prevalence of extra-articular manifestations (EAM) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and the impact of demographic, clinical and treatment factors.

Method: The study was carried out as a part of 'Karnataka Rheumatoid arthritis comorbidity (KRAC) study' conducted at 14 centers across Karnataka, India between September 2014 and July 2015. The data were collected by trained clinical research associates using a structured pro forma, under the supervision of the consulting rheumatologists.