Table 1.
Characteristics of patients and controls hospitalized for dermatomyositis (1993 to 2007)
| Characteristics | Patients with dermatomyositis | Controlsa |
|---|---|---|
| Total number in sample | 10,156 | 76,440 |
| Weighted number (to US population) | 50,323 | 376,744 |
| Mean age, years | 58.3 | 58.5 |
| Percentage of females | 73.2 | 73.4 |
| Race, percentage | ||
| White | 53.2 | 71.4 |
| Black | 11.8 | 15.5 |
| Hispanic | 7.6 | 10.1 |
| Other | 3.7 | 3.0 |
| Missing | 23.6 | 0 |
| Income, percentage | ||
| 1 (lowest category) | 19.7 | 28.2 |
| 2 | 22.4 | 23.8 |
| 3 | 23.7 | 22.3 |
| 4 (highest category) | 31.3 | 22.8 |
| Missing | 2.9 | 2.9 |
| Hospital type | ||
| Rural | 11.6 | 11.5 |
| Urban, non-teaching | 39.3 | 43.5 |
| Urban, teaching | 49.1 | 45.0 |
| Mean length of hospitalization, days | 8.0 | 5.1 |
| Mean total charges, US dollars | 28,545 | 33,853 |
| Any cardiovascular diagnosis, percentage | 20.4 | 21.1 |
| MI or acute coronary artery disease | 4.4 | 5.7 |
| Angina | 1.2 | 1.7 |
| Angina pectoris | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Angina (either) | 2.5 | 2.8 |
| Congestive heart failure | 11.8 | 9.9 |
| Coronary artery bypass graft | 0.4 | 0.01 |
| Coronary catheterization | 2.9 | 0 |
| Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty | 0.8 | 0 |
| Charlson comorbidity index | 1.4 | 1.2 |
| Overall in-hospital death rate per 1,000 | 56.5 | 24.0 |
aControls were matched for age and gender. MI, myocardial infarction.