ABSTRACT
Background: The causes of acute decompensations of patients with systemic autoimmune diseases are not well known. Aim: To describe the causes for consultation in an emergency room of patients with systemic autoimmune diseases. Material and Methods: Review of medical records of patients with systemic autoimmune diseases, aged over 14 years, consulting in an emergency room of a general hospital during three months. Results: In the study period, 166 patients with systemic autoimmune diseases consulted in the emergency room, of a total of 18,153 consultations (0.9%). Patients with rheumatoid arthritis were those that consulted with higher frequency (37%) followed by patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (21%). The most common causes for consultation were cardiovascular diseases in 25%, followed by digestive disorders in 15%. The most common diagnosis was chest pain with suspected ischemic heart disease in 36%. No differences in cardiovascular risk factors were observed between those patients consulting for cardiovascular diseases and those consulting for other causes. Conclusions: The most common cause of consultation in the emergency room of patients with systemic autoimmune diseases is cardiovascular.